Bragging Rights
by Ronin-ai
Summary: Selvine fic: Fluffy lemon fic i guess.. . Irvine's getting ready for a shooting competition to show everyone exactly HOW good he is...and life happens along the way. drama, romance, some action...etc.
1. Chapter 1

_**BRAGGING RIGHTS**_

_By Ronin-ai_

Disclaimer: No, these are not my creations; I'm just borrowing them. Only the story itself is original.

BANG!

_Click. _

BANG!

_Click._

BANG! BANG! BANG!

_Click_.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

_Click._

BANG!!

Echoes, fading into the breathless heat of the Galbadian desert, were absorbed by the ochre sand. A tall, lanky figure, dressed in a tan canvas duster, brown leather chaps over jeans and cowboy boots, came into view through the heat haze; black felt cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes. He held a long, black gun case that swung with every long legged stride. Dust kicked up by his boots swirled around his ankles as a searing hot breeze picked it up, whirling it away behind him.

Tugging his hat down lower against the blinding sun, Irvine Kinneas squinted his blue eyes against the glare, looking for his ride. A slender figure, clad in bright yellow, waved and started running down the scrub-covered berm toward him.

"Hey Irvy! Hi! Are you done? How'd you do this time?" Selphie Tilmitt scrambled down the slope, skipping over to Irvine, grinning.

"Highest score yet." He said smugly. Selphie squealed happily and jumped into his arms, planting a big, wet kiss firmly on his mouth. Irvine, caught off guard, nearly dropped his precious gun case and quickly set it down, wrapping both arms around Selphie and kissing her back.

Breathless and laughing, Selphie asked, "So, you qualified, right? For the games?"

Irvine snorted, "Hell yes I qualified, was there ever any doubt?" Selphie wrinkled her nose, squinting up at him, and shook her head.

"Not from me." Grabbing Irvine's hand, Selphie tugged him toward the hill she'd just descended, and Irvine obligingly picked up his case and followed her up the hill and out of Galbadia Garden's desert gun range.

He could have practiced at Balamb Garden's shooting range; they had a very nice one, out in the hills behind the fire caverns. But he was more familiar with the one he'd learned on in Galbadia. He'd trained there from the moment he'd picked firearms as his specialty. Plus, it was the ONLY place that he could truly test his sharp-shooting skill. Balamb's range simply wasn't big enough; their shooting range only went up to 1,000 meters. Galbadia's had a maximum distance of 1,500 meters for extreme long range shooting. It also was one of the official venues for the SeeD Games.

Every five years, all of the various Garden academies sent their best SeeDs to compete in the SeeD Games, mostly for bragging rights and the recognition of being _the_ best in any given skill. Any active SeeD who wished to participate had to pass a series of qualifying events before being sent on to the Games to represent their home academy. In addition, some of the winners had the option to represent their home countries in the International Games, also held at five-year intervals.

The last time the Games were held was two years before Irvine had been assigned to Squall's team in an effort to assassinate the Sorceress Edea. He hadn't been a full SeeD yet then. _This_ time though, he was a full SeeD, had been one for three years and nobody, but _nobody_, had beaten his shooting scores.

Irvine _knew_ he was the best sharpshooter in all the Gardens. He just wanted to prove it to the rest of the world.

Cresting the top of the berm, Irvine caught sight of an SUV covered in tan dust. There were no paved roads out to the shooting range, so a sturdy vehicle was required to get there.

Selphie dashed ahead, yelling, "I'm driving!" She hopped into the car and obligingly popped open the back door for Irvine as he approached the vehicle.

Irvine grinned as he loaded his gun case and the satchel carrying his extra ammo into the back of the SUV, saying "darlin' you can drive me _anywhere_."

Selphie giggled at that, and suggested, "How 'bout Deling City? We can be there in time for dinner." Irvine shut the back door and came around to the passenger side, angling his body into the seat and moving it back several inches to accommodate his long legs.

"Ahhhh…" He sighed, flipping the AC to high as Selphie started the engine. Leaning the seat back a bit, Irvine took his hat off and started to place it over his face, in preparation for a nap, when Selphie stopped him.

"Well?" She prompted.

"What?" He asked, looking over at her, hat still in his hands.

"Deling city? Dinner?" She reminded him.

"Oh! Yeah, that's a good idea. I know this great place just off the strip. We can rent a room at the Galbadian Hotel and head back to Balamb in the morning." Yawning, he settled back into his seat and placed his hat over his eyes. It was a long ride to Deling City from the gun range, and Irvine had been up since dawn.

Unfortunately, Selphie was unsympathetic to his desire for snooze time.

"Gosh, it was hot out there today, wasn't it? I don't understand why you aren't sweating like crazy under that duster." She commented, handily negotiating the rough dirt road and sending up plumes of yellow-brown dust in her wake.

Irvine sighed. Okay, so maybe he _wouldn't_ get that nap after all.

"I'm used to the heat." He drawled. "Besides, this duster ain't as heavy as it looks. Keeps the sun off me. There's nothing I hate more than a sunburn."

"Yeah, me too." Selphie said.

Then she switched gears, both literally and figuratively, and launched into a recitation of current Garden gossip. Irvine did his best to at least _look_ like he was paying attention, but most of it bored him silly. He couldn't help yawning again.

Selphie, catching sight of it, laughed, "I'm sorry, I know gossip bores you. But hey, guess what I heard?"

Irvine, tipping his hat up and catching sight of her sparkling green eyes, couldn't help smiling at her and responding, "what?"

"Zell qualified to compete in the hand-to-hand tournament." She answered.

Irvine nodded, "figured he would. Good. Another one for our team. Anyone else qualify?"

"Yeah. And you aren't going to believe who." Selphie replied. Irvine waited, but Selphie seemed willing to let the suspense draw out.

Finally, he prompted, "Okay, I'll bite. Who else?"

"Who's got the longest standing rivalry in all of the Gardens?" Selphie asked him.

Irvine shrugged, wondering what that had to do with who qualified for what, saying, "Well, that's easy. Seifer and Squall. They've been at it since they were kids."

"Well, apparently they've got some kind of one-upmanship contest going or something, because they both qualified to compete, and they're both doing the A-level combine." Selphie said.

Irvine stared at her. "The _A-level_? That's still even an _event_? Are they _nuts_? I thought the Garden masters had decided to remove it from the SeeD games after half the participants _died_ the last time they ran it."

"Apparently they changed their minds." Selphie shook her head.

"Wow." Irvine leaned back onto the seat again, saying, "well, this takes the classic "pissing contest" to a whole new level."

"What's _really_ nuts is that's not the only event Squall's competing in. He's also doing the marathon and gunblade fencing." Selphie wrinkled her nose as the dust from the dirt road snuck in and tickled it. She sneezed and rubbed at her nose.

"What is he trying to do? Kill himself? Or just make the rest of us look bad?" Irvine complained.

"I dunno, but not even Seifer would go _that_ far. He stopped short of signing up for the marathon, but he and Squall are going to be competing against each other in every other event they're in." Selphie observed.

"Unbelievable." Irvine shook his head. The A-level combine was the most difficult and dangerous obstacle course ever invented. Designed to test the endurance and survival skills of the SeeD that undertook it, it was five miles long and fully fenced with free-ranging, _dangerous_ monsters throughout. Through thick forest, swamp, and right up into the Guarg mountains, it included 3 climbing walls, each higher than the other, a rock-climbing section and a glacier climb, complete with snowlions. It had to be completed while fully armed and in battle dress. And it was _timed_.

Every SeeD had to complete the course at least once upon passing their field exams. But if they survived it, they were never asked to do so again.

Squall Leonhart, the redoubtable SeeD commander that had saved the world from the evil sorceress Ultimecia, had done it _twice_. For _fun_.


	2. Chapter 2:Bullets and Beer

Chapter 2: Bullets and Beer

They arrived in Deling City just as the sunset was splashing crimson and gold all over it. The city bustled with life as the fiery sunset faded gradually to purple and indigo.

Tilting his hat back and sighing at the sight, Irvine said, "You know, Balamb is beautiful and all, but boy, I sure do miss the Galbadian sunset."

Selphie smiled over at him, saying, "I know what you mean, I feel the same way about Trabia sometimes. I do like the beach at Balamb though. Good surfing."

"No lie. I've actually gotten pretty good at it now. Zell still owns the waves though when he's out on his board." Irvine said, remembering the previous summer.

He'd actually managed to convince Squall to come out and surf with them, and despite his admission that he'd only done it a couple of times, managed not to wipe out too badly. They'd had a lot of fun that summer. After that first time, Irvine, Squall and Zell had made an effort to get together and surf whenever they could. Unfortunately for Squall it wasn't as often as anyone would have liked, but the mere fact that he even _made_ such an effort was proof positive of how far he'd come with regards to his friends.

Selphie sighed, "All that time out on the beach didn't hurt you guys at all in the looks department, that's for sure. Shoot, by summer's end, all three of you had killer tans, and your hair really bleached out. You were almost blonde."

"Yeah, and Squall's hair turned _red_. Weird huh?" Irvine commented.

Selphie shook her head, "not really, his hair's dark auburn. It just got lighter is all."

"Oh. I just thought it was brown." Irvine said, shrugging. Whatever the color was, the sun had bleached it out to a copper hue that had had more than one cadet sighing over their commander. Again.

Of course, the blonde beach boy look hadn't hurt _Irvine's_ action too much either. He sighed. He loved Selphie, truly he did. But sometimes it was just so _damn_ hard to resist all the pretty girls that kept coming on to him. He didn't _do_ anything; he left that for his girlfriend. But he _did_ enjoy the flirting. So long as he brought his affections back to Selphie in the end, he saw no harm in it.

They arrived at the Galbadian Hotel just as the last of the light faded from the sky, and Irvine unloaded his gun case and satchel and Selphie's overnight bag from the back of the SUV as she handed the keys to the valet to park the car.

Catching sight of another bag, he frowned and grabbed it too, asking Selphie, "Did you pack an overnight bag for me too?"

"Yeah. I know when you left this morning you weren't intending to make it an overnight trip, but it takes so long getting from here to Balamb that it just made more sense. I figured you might want a change of clothes." Selphie answered.

Irvine, his hands full, had to content himself with a kiss on Selphie's forehead as she came up to him, saying, "Thank you sweetie, that was thoughtful of you. Let's go get checked in and I'll take you out for the best steak you'll ever eat this side of Galbadia."

"You got it baby!" Selphie said with a dimpled grin.

They continued into the hotel and Irvine checked them in, with the concierge at the desk smiling and saying, "Welcome back, Mr. Kinneas. How's everything going for you?"

"Just fine, and you?" Irvine asked, smiling at the concierge.

"Not bad. Are you here on business, Mr. Kinneas?" The man asked.

Irvine quirked an eyebrow, saying, "No. But even if I was I couldn't tell you."

The concierge laughed at that, agreeing, "True. Well Mr. Kinneas, if you'll follow Jason over here, he'll show you and your friend to your rooms. Have a good night." The bellman reached for their bags, and Irvine handed him the overnight bags that Selphie had brought, keeping a firm hold on his gun case and satchel.

"I'll carry these, thank you, Jason." He said firmly, then followed the young man to the elevator. Selphie slipped an arm around his waist and leaned in close, hugging him while they rode up. Irvine slipped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her back.

Her warmth was both a comfort and a distraction, and he found himself smiling in anticipation of their evening together. Dinner, and… ? Well, he was hoping, but he wouldn't push. He was nothing if not a gentleman. Despite the fact that he and Selphie had been dating for some time now, he knew better than to assume that any given date would end the same way. It was nice when they did spend the night together; but Selphie's mercurial temperament, and Irvine's tendency to be a little _too_ accessible to his legions of female admirers, made that sort of thing _far_ from a foregone conclusion. Thus, he'd hedged his bets, and booked two rooms, just in case. He wanted to give Selphie an out, if she didn't feel comfortable.

The bellman stopped at a pair of doors, and opened them, saying, "Here are your rooms, Mr. Kinneas. Enjoy your stay." He brought their luggage inside and set it on the floor near the couch in the sitting room.

"Thank you, Jason." Irvine tipped the man and led Selphie into their rooms. It was actually a suite, comprised of a main sitting room with two bedrooms opening off of it. Each bedroom had a private bathroom as well. It was one of the more expensive suites in the hotel, and its décor was correspondingly luxurious.

"Well darlin'," Irvine began, taking his hat off and setting it down on the coffee table. "I don't know about you, but spending all afternoon in the dust and the heat has given me a powerful need for a shower. So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take care of that right now, and then we can go to dinner. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll go freshen up too." Selphie answered. Irvine gave her a quick kiss and grabbed the bag she'd packed for him and picked one of the bedrooms to go take a shower and get ready for dinner. Selphie did the same.

She laid the clothes she was planning to wear out on the bed, then went to take a shower. She had a sort of ulterior motive in orchestrating this evening out. Booking the hotel had been Irvine's idea, which had surprised her. But if he hadn't suggested it, she would have. The times that they were able to be together, just the two of them, were rare; the SeeDs called upon Irvine's particular skills frequently, and he was away a lot.

Then there were his fans. His notoriety in the battle against Ultimecia, his relatively close friendship with the Balamb SeeD commander Squall Leonhart, and his open, accessible personality, quite the opposite of the still stern and aloof commander, had given him near celebrity status.

The groupies, quite frankly, gave Selphie a headache. She knew that Irvine's flirting was just a game to him. He was never serious about it, and he was careful to make sure that the girls he flirted with were aware of that fact. But unfortunately, no matter how blatantly a fact is spelled out, there were some girls that just didn't get it and pushed things too far. And Irvine just didn't have the heart to be harsh, even when the situation called for it.

There _was_ such a thing as being _too_ much of a gentleman. Another of Irvine's endearing yet frustrating quirks. There were times when she wanted "pervy Irvy" and instead got The Sorceress's Knight. Oh, she loved the romance, no complaints there. It just never seemed to happen when she wanted it to. And hey, she had a libido just like everyone else. It just seemed like lately, they were out of synch in that regard. So this was an effort on Selphie's part to bring them back to the same wavelength. So to speak.

With that in mind, Selphie had chosen her weapons carefully. After toweling off, she dried her hair, fluffing it into a short, tousled style that framed her pixyish face. She carefully applied her makeup to play up what she thought was her best feature: her emerald green eyes. Then she added a touch of rosy pink gloss to her lips and just a hint of blush for color. The entire effect was, she thought, both innocent and seductive. Exactly the look she was going for.

After putting on the clothes she'd chosen for the evening, Selphie checked herself in the mirror one last time, and smiled slyly. She'd chosen an emerald green silk blouse that matched her eyes exactly, and a short, black leather miniskirt. Tall black leather boots completed the ensemble and made her legs look a mile long. Silk and leather. Two things guaranteed to get Irvine's attention.

Upon leaving the bedroom to find Irvine waiting for her in the sitting room, Selphie got proof positive that her plan was working.

Irvine simply stared, blinked a couple of times and said, "Damn!"

For her part, Selphie stood transfixed. Irvine had cleaned up and shaved, and he'd left his long hair loose to dry. As it did, the natural curl came back. The result was golden-brown waves that trailed well past his shoulders. He usually tied it back or braided it, not caring to have it in his face, particularly when he was working. Seeing it loose and unconfined was rare, and Selphie found that it changed his whole appearance. She liked it. A lot.

Given the fact that his wardrobe for the evening was picked by Selphie, she already knew how good he'd look in the black jeans and deep blue cotton shirt she'd packed for him. She also knew him well enough to know what he felt most comfortable wearing. While he might have looked spectacular in an indigo silk shirt, when she'd broached the subject once, he'd simply told her he'd feel "fruity" in it.

He _did_ love the feel of silk against his skin however. He just didn't feel comfortable _wearing_ it.

He approached her, blue eyes gleaming in appreciation and reached out to touch her shoulder through the thin silk, trailing his hand down her arm to take her hand.

"Baby, you look good enough to eat. Maybe we should just stay in and order room service?" Irvine said, hoping. He truly did want to take Selphie out on the town and make a night of it, but when she looked like _that_, well…

Selphie laughed, "Tempting, but I'm curious about this almighty steak you mentioned."

"Well then, lets get going. Its really not that far from here, we can walk it." Irvine finished getting ready, shrugging into his double shoulder holster and checking the safeties and clips on his both of his guns. He regretfully left his rifle in its case. He wasn't working, so he didn't need to carry it. The pistols should suffice if anything happened. Then he put on the black suit coat Selphie had included in his baggage, knowing he wouldn't go anywhere without his guns and not wanting them to be _too_ blatantly obvious. It was a western cut and generously tailored to hide the holsters when buttoned up.

Grabbing his hat, Irvine briefly considered pulling his hair back into its usual ponytail, but it was still slightly damp, and besides, he'd caught Selphie's appreciative look. Settling his hat onto his head, he crooked his arm out for Selphie and they left.

"So, tell me about this place we're going to." Selphie urged, as they rode the elevator to the lobby.

Irvine grinned down at her, saying, "Pike's Place. Best little hole in the wall in Deling City. I used to hang out there whenever I could when I was still in Galbadia Garden. Good food and good fun. Good music too." The elevator reached the lobby floor and Irvine escorted Selphie out and into the lobby, winking at the concierge as he passed by.

The night air was wonderfully cool after the afternoon heat of the desert, and Selphie enjoyed their walk and the bright lights of the beautiful city. They were in no hurry, so they took their time window-shopping along the strip as they meandered toward the establishment Irvine had picked.

"You know, I'm glad we decided to stay overnight. I cleared it with Squall by the way, just in case. Didn't want us to be listed AWOL." Selphie commented.

"That wouldn't have happened, Squall knew I was here and why. Besides, neither of us is on assignment, and he assured me that there wasn't anything pending that couldn't wait a couple of days." Irvine responded. They crossed the main thoroughfare and wandered up a side street. It was darker here as the lights were farther apart, but there were still businesses open and people bustling back and forth.

Finally, Irvine stopped at a rustic-looking façade and opened the door for Selphie to enter. Pike's Place was a local pub full of music and golden light. Rough-hewn logs and golden wood paneling added to the rugged atmosphere. A live band played an acoustic number on a small stage at one end of the room. Irvine led her to a table and they sat down, with Selphie looking around with interest.

"Wow, this place is really cool Irvine. I gotta admit, I'm liking the music." Selphie smiled at him. Just then, the waitress showed up to take their orders.

"So, what'll you have darlin'?" Irvine asked Selphie.

After taking a quick glance at the menu, Selphie shrugged, "well, you promised me steak, so that's what I'll have. But make it a good one! Medium rare, please."

"Alright." Irvine nodded, then turned to the waitress to place their orders. "Two hunter's steaks, medium rare, and two longnecks." The waitress left to get their drinks, and Selphie took a sip from the glass of water she'd been given in the meantime. Their beers arrived moments later and Irvine raised his, tapped the mouth end against Selphie's in an informal toast, and took a drink. Selphie did likewise.

"This is good." Selphie commented, savoring the flavor of the beverage.

Irvine nodded, "they have a microbrewery here, so this is their own recipe. Part of what I like about this place."

Selphie set her bottle down and traced her finger through a droplet of water that had fallen to the surface of the table. It was clean and polished, but still fairly rough hewn, with an artfully distressed surface.

"So you came here a lot as a cadet then?" She asked.

Irvine nodded, taking another sip of his beer, "yeah. Every Saturday night that I could manage to get away. Of course, they wouldn't serve me beer until I could prove I was of age, but I enjoyed the music and the dancing. And the food of course. _Much_ better than the cafeteria food at Galbadia Garden, that's for sure."

Their steaks arrived moments later, and Selphie's mouth watered at the delicious aroma. Taking a bite, she rolled her eyes in pleasure, and Irvine grinned at her reaction.

"Did I say they were the best steaks ever or what?" He asked, cutting into his own.

Selphie shook her head, swallowing, and replied, "No, your exact words were "the best steaks this side of Galbadia" to which I heartily agree." Suiting action to words, Selphie took another bite of her steak, then started poking at her baked potato, fluffing it up and mixing a generous dollop of sour cream into it.

They continued eating in companionable silence, both enjoying the meal immensely, Irvine more so since he'd been so busy on the gun range, he'd forgotten to eat lunch. His gaze strayed to Selphie, who had turned away for a moment, watching the band and the couples dancing on the small space in front of the stage.

The green silk shirt she wore shimmered in the golden light with every move, shifting and drifting over her form, clinging and billowing, tantalizing in what it revealed and what it hid. It was an endlessly fascinating display of light and color, and Irvine was mesmerized. God, he loved her in silk. The remains of his dinner momentarily forgotten, Irvine took another sip of his beer to moisten his suddenly dry mouth.

When Selphie turned back to him, he set his beer down and smiled, nodding toward the dance floor, "want to dance?"

Selphie took a sip of her beer and set it down, answering, "sure." Irvine got up and took her hand, leading her toward the dance floor. The band was playing a folksy number with a two-step beat, and Irvine led Selphie through the throng of people dancing. He pulled her close and they glided around the floor in time with the beat, letting their bodies speak to each other as they danced. They ended up in right in front of the band, with Irvine whirling Selphie out and back, finishing the song with her held close in his arms. Their eyes locked, and Irvine moved in for a kiss.

"Hey! Deadshot! Deadshot Kinneas! Is that you?" The hail came from directly behind him. Irvine turned with a frown to see the lead singer of the band grinning down at him.

Irvine sighed and gave Selphie an apologetic smile before answering the man, "yeah Mark, its me." Immediately, the singer called for a break and jumped down off the stage, extending his hand to Irvine and then pulling him into a rough half-hug.

"Well how the hell are you, son! I haven't seen you since forever!" The singer was easily as tall as Irvine, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with long, black hair and brown eyes. He was attractive and energetic, and under normal circumstances Selphie would have been charmed by the man's enthusiasm in meeting them. But dammit, he'd just intruded on a romantic moment and Selphie, for her part, was less than happy about it.

Irvine, seeing Selphie's expression, gave her a quick squeeze before answering his friend, "Well, I live in Balamb now. After I was assigned to Balamb Garden's team to deal with the sorceress, I decided to make it permanent and requested an official transfer. I've been there for three years now."

"Well, c'mon man! Lets catch up over a beer or three!" Mark said, urging Irvine toward the bar.

Irvine shook his head, "Sorry Mark, some other time. I'm here with my girl and while she's being very cool about this right now, I'm sure she doesn't appreciate the interruption."

Mark turned and smiled apologetically at Selphie, saying, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Name's Mark. Mark Seleden. That's my band over there, The Winhill Rebels. Pleased to meet ya!" He stuck out his hand, and Selphie, warming to his charm, shook it.

"Selphie Tilmitt." She said with a polite smile.

"Well, miss Tilmitt, I'll let you two get back to your date." Patting Irvine on the shoulder as he left, Mark added, "We'll get together and catch up later, man. Take it easy, and enjoy the rest of your evening."

Irvine returned with Selphie to their table for a moment to finish their beers and settle the tab. Their plates had already been cleared, so Irvine simply left the tip on the table for the waitress after he paid the bill for their dinner.

The band was beginning to warm up for another set and Irvine sincerely hoped that Mark wouldn't do something embarrassing like dedicating a song to him and Selphie.

"So," said Selphie. "Deadshot?"

Irvine snorted, "I haven't had that nickname since I was a cadet."

"Did your friend Mark give it to you?" Selphie asked.

Irvine nodded, "yeah, he was my roommate for a couple of semesters. Gave me the nickname when I scored a perfect my first try on the junior firearms course. I was about twelve at the time. Nobody had ever done that before."

"Leave it to you. So what happened to Mark? How come he's not a SeeD?" Selphie asked, curious.

Irvine shrugged, "He decided music was more his thing and dropped out."

The band struck up an upbeat, rollicking tune, and Mark called out, "all you cowboys out there, grab your girls and get to dancin'!" Irvine laughed and the singer winked at him as he took Selphie's hand and ushered her back out to the dance floor.

"Well," Selphie said breathlessly, concentrating on keeping time with the music and keeping step with Irvine, "he's very good at it."

Irvine twirled Selphie, then pulled her back into his arms, saying, "that he is."

They danced the rest of the night away, pausing to cool off with another longneck each. The evening was turning out every bit as wonderful and fun as Selphie had hoped it would be, and she was more than ready to head back to the hotel and finish it off in grand style. The beers had mellowed them, but they'd been too busy dancing to drink much more than two each.

The last song of the night before the Rebels finished their show was a slow, romantic number and Selphie swayed in Irvine's arms, sighing in contentment. She'd seen the appreciative glances directed toward Irvine from the other girls there, but for once, he paid them no attention, focusing solely on Selphie.

"You about ready to head back to the hotel?" he murmured into her ear. His warm breath sent shivers up her spine.

"More than ready." She whispered back. Irvine's arms tightened around her momentarily, then he led her from the dance floor.

Moments later, they were strolling along the darkened street toward the Galbadian Hotel, hand in hand. It was late and the shops now were closed, and no people were about. The night air was cool and perfumed with the night-blooms that were growing in a nearby park. Their route was fairly well lighted, but still dim. And while the area they were walking in was fairly safe, the fact is, in a city the size of Deling City, no place is truly crime-free.

Irvine released Selphie's hand to pull her close to his side, kissing the top of her head. He kept his arm around her, and sighed, gazing around as they walked. A soft scuff behind them got his attention, and he surreptitiously glanced around, catching a shadow moving into a deeper pool of darkness. They were closer to the park now, and there were fewer lights and more shrubs and other vegetation lining the walkway. A slight breeze moved the bushes, adding to the shifting play of light and darkness. But the shadow that Irvine had glimpsed had not moved with the breeze.

Pulling Selphie close again, Irvine leaned down and kissed her cheek, then whispered, "Did you bring protection with you?'

Selphie, surprised at such a direct question answered, "of course I did, silly, it's in the hotel."

Irvine had to chuckle softly at the response, whispering, "I love the way your mind works sweetheart, but that's not the kind of protection I'm talking about."

Selphie turned to look directly at Irvine, and understood when she saw the wary look in his eyes and felt the tension in the arm he had around her shoulders.

"In my left boot," she whispered.

"That's my girl." He whispered back with a smile. He made sure that they betrayed no sign that they'd heard their stalker, continuing on their course to the hotel. But he, and Selphie, were both on their guard. If the shadow skulking behind them made a move, he'd be in for an unpleasant surprise. Another scuff and a rustle, closer this time, increased Irvine's tension. Then he heard a soft step coming from a different direction. Two stalkers. Possibly more.

"There's at least two," Irvine breathed into Selphie's ear. "Be ready."

She nodded and reached down, pretending to scratch her leg just above her left boot. Irvine unbuttoned his coat, but didn't want to go for his guns unless he had no other alternative. If it turned out they were just street toughs looking to boost a little gil, well, he'd rather teach them a lesson with his fists instead of ending their lives for them.

He had other plans, plans that didn't include hours spent in the interview room at the Deling City P.D. Besides, he hated wasting ammunition. And while he had a license for concealed carry, killing someone, even in self-defense, always involved exhaustive amounts of paperwork for him and aggravation for Squall.

They had just about made it to the main thoroughfare when their stalkers made their move.

"Stop right there, cowboy," a voice said softly from behind them. Irvine heard the click of a gun being cocked.

Turning to face the mugger, Irvine dropped his arm from around Selphie's shoulders and took a step away from her to give her some room to move. As he did, he noticed another shadow off to the side, about arms length from the person who'd spoken. They were all still standing in shadow, the better to do their business without attracting too much notice. But there was just enough light coming off the main street beyond for Irvine to discern some details about the muggers facing them.

They were young, little more than teenagers, and likely members of a street gang. One was short and slender, the other larger and more solid looking. The only weapon that Irvine could see was the gun the smaller of the two gang members was somewhat shakily pointing at him. The gun appeared to be an older model snub nose revolver popular among street gangs and petty criminals due to its portability and the ease with which it could be obtained.

The gunman demanded, "give me all your gil and you won't get hurt."

Irvine glanced toward Selphie, whose left hand was lying flat to her side, concealing the nunchakus she'd just pulled out of her boot. Then he turned back to studying the mugger.

Intellectually, he knew the smartest, safest thing to do would be to simply give the guy what he'd asked for. It wasn't much, and Irvine earned a decent wage as a SeeD. It wasn't about the money. It was the principle. What Irvine saw in front of him were two punk kids that needed to be taught a lesson.

"How about you put that gun away kid, and rethink your life? You could get hurt." Irvine suggested. The muggers both laughed, thinking Irvine had just told a joke.

"I'm the one holding a gun on you, so if you want to live, I suggest you do what I ask." Mugger #1 demanded, trying to sound threatening. The effect was spoiled however by the visibly shaking gun and the slight squeak in the guy's voice. Mugger #2 however remained silent, and of the two, Irvine considered him to be the greater threat. He decided to put an end to the standoff.

Irvine glanced quickly toward Selphie and saw that she'd surreptitiously maneuvered herself into position. He met her eyes and she nodded. They were ready. He started walking slowly toward the gunman, hands out to the sides, palms facing him.

"Last chance kid. Put the gun down." Irvine warned.

"Go to hell, idiot!" Mugger #1 said, looking nervously at his companion.

Without warning, Selphie's nunchakus smashed down on mugger #1's arm, breaking the bone and causing him to drop the gun. Then she flipped them back and caught the guy across the face, knocking him out. At the same time, Irvine launched himself at the other mugger, nailing him with two hard punches to the face. The mugger staggered backward into the light, and Irvine saw the glint of a knife blade seconds before it slashed toward him. He avoided it and hit the wrist with the side of his hand, knocking the knife from his assailant's hand.

Irvine kicked the knife away and as the mugger lunged at him for another attack, he grabbed the young man by the shirt, swept his feet out from under him and slammed him to the ground. One last solid punch to the jaw rendered him unconscious. Not for the first time, he silently thanked Zell for giving him some one on one instruction in hand-to-hand combat.

Then Irvine stood up, brushed off his coat and went over to Selphie.

"You okay, baby?" he asked, looking her up and down. He didn't see any injuries, and he sighed with relief when she nodded. They both turned to look at their erstwhile attackers, who were still down and out.

"We'd better call the police, can't leave these guys here to try this again with someone else." Selphie said. Irvine sighed. They'd have to file a police report after all, and it would be hours before they got back to their room. There went the remainder of their date.

"Yeah, you're right." He handed her his cell phone. "Go ahead and call 'em."


	3. Chapter 3: The Lone Gunman

Chapter 3: The Lone Gunman

Two hours later, well past midnight, Irvine and Selphie finally made it back to their hotel room. The Deling City P.D. officers, for the most part, had been reassuringly efficient in gathering information about the incident. Once the two suspects had been checked out and transported by EMS to a local hospital, Irvine and Selphie had been allowed to leave. One of the officers had been dispatched to escort them back however. At Irvine's puzzled look, the officer had simply told him blandly they didn't want any more incidents.

Irvine's response was that he _had_ warned the muggers before putting a stop to their attempted robbery. It was just their bad luck that they'd chosen to try to rob two trained SeeD mercenaries rather than a couple of tourists out on a stroll.

Opening the door to their room and locking it behind them after Selphie entered, Irvine took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, yawning. The adrenaline rush had faded long since and his long day, along with the two beers he'd consumed, were combined into crushing exhaustion.

He tossed his hat carelessly in the direction of the coffee table and made a beeline for his bedroom, the only thing on his mind was to get horizontal and snoring as soon as possible. Then he remembered. Selphie.

"Hey, sweetie," he said tiredly, pausing in the sitting room. "Sorry this didn't turn out the way we wanted it too." He shrugged off his coat and shoulder holsters, laying them both over the back of the sofa.

"It's okay," she said, yawning herself. "It's not like you planned it to happen."

Irvine laughed quietly, "No, I didn't." He smiled over at her. She still looked beautiful, despite the fatigue he could see plainly in her eyes. And that silk shirt flat did it for him. He walked back over to her, forgetting how late it was, how tired they both were.

He reached out, pulled her into his arms and just held her for a moment, smoothing his hands over the slick fabric on her back before squeezing her tightly. She burrowed her head into his chest, and hugged him back just as hard. Then he bent down and kissed her gently.

Stroking her hair, he whispered, "I'm dog tired baby, but if you want to give it a go…" The he gasped as Selphie's nimble fingers found their way under his shirt, stroking up his chest before she pulled them out and started unbuttoning it.

"I think we can manage." She murmured, kissing the center of his chest. Irvine shivered and his heart started to race. He captured her lips with his own and lost himself in their softness, kissing her until they were both breathless. Slowly, he started walking backward toward the bedroom, still kissing her, while Selphie's busy hands worked his shirt off his shoulders and momentarily imprisoned his hands behind his back.

He was still struggling to get the cuffs over his hands, while still kissing Selphie, when he backed into the doorjamb to the bedroom.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, laughing. Selphie grinned impishly at him as he leaned back against the doorjamb, hands still tangled in his shirt behind his back.

"Mmmm," She said with a wicked smile, "Seffie like."

Irvine smiled, then tugged at his sleeves again, "um, little help here?"

Selphie shook her head and advanced on him, giving in to the irresistible urge to stroke and caress his naked torso. Irvine leaned his head back against the doorway, feeling his knees go weak as she began kissing down his chest, pressing herself against him and stroking her hands up his back.

He had to remind himself to breathe when she got to his beltline.

"Oh, God, Selphie…" he couldn't stand any more; he had to get his damned hands untangled. He finally, _finally_, got the cuffs undone, by simply popping the darned buttons off. He didn't care; he had to have his hands free. The shirt fell to the floor behind him, forgotten.

He reached for Selphie and swept her up into his arms, kissing her fiercely, and carried her the rest of the way to the bed, kicking the door shut behind him. When they got to the bed, Irvine simply allowed himself to fall backward onto it, with Selphie still in his arms. She weighed next to nothing, so it didn't hurt him. She ended up on top of him, practically sitting on his chest.

She laughed, "Are you _that_ tired Irvy?"

Irvine grinned up at her from flat on his back and said, "Yep. You might have to do all the work, darlin'."

Selphie shifted until she sat on his stomach, straddling him, and leaned forward onto her forearms that she had crossed, resting on Irvine's chest.

"Is that so?" She challenged, then before he could respond, she was kissing him again, hands in his hair.

His arms came up automatically, smoothing up her thighs to her hips before he sat up, pulling her close. The he closed his eyes and gave in to the sensations bombarding him. Silken fabric gave way to silken skin and Irvine was lost, drowning in taste, texture and scent.

He only vaguely remembered kicking off his boots, removing his remaining clothing and molding himself to Selphie's body. They spent the rest of the night so wrapped up in each other; time had no meaning for them.

They made love until they were both sweaty and exhausted, and Irvine at least, could no longer keep his eyes open before he cuddled Selphie close and gave her a final kiss before dropping off to sleep.

They slept until late morning, not having an urgent need to get back to Balamb. Waking up with Selphie still snuggled next to him, Irvine's arms tightened around her and he gave her a gentle kiss to wake her up.

"Good morning sweetheart. How'd you sleep?" Irvine asked her huskily. Selphie stirred, stretching her body against his and nuzzling at the base of his neck. Irvine's body reacted predictably and he began to think about taking another day off and staying in bed.

Kissing him there, she murmured, "warm, cozy, safe.. and wonderful. I could stay in bed like this for the rest of the week but we've got to get back home sometime. We need to get up and get going."

Rolling over on top of Selphie, Irvine kissed her and whispered, "Not _yet_ we don't…"

***

They finally checked out just before noon Galbadia time. Selphie dropped off their rental car and they both boarded the train back to Balamb.

Selphie, as was her custom, stood at the window, watching the speeding countryside go by. Just before the train entered the underwater tunnel toward Balamb, Irvine came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

Selphie laughed, "You make me feel like such a shrimp when you do that!"

Irvine chuckled, "That's because you _are_ a shrimp."

"I wish I could have come with you on the ride over. That would have been fun. Why did you have to leave so early anyway?" Selphie asked him.

"I wanted to catch Squall before I left, and the only way I could figure out how to do that was to literally get up at the crack of dawn and track him down. I had to practically run him down because he was already out jogging on the beach." Irvine answered.

"Why did you need to see Squall?" Selphie asked.

Irvine shrugged, "Well, I wanted to see if I could check out the Ragnarok to fly out here instead of taking the train, but he needed it. Said he was going to Dollet later that morning. I ended up taking the early train and catching a ride out to the shooting range with one of Galbadia Garden's instructors."

"Wonder what's going on in Dollet." Selphie commented.

"Dunno. The Dukedom's hired SeeD in the past, maybe they've got a new contract for us." Irvine responded.

"Maybe," Selphie sighed. "I'm sure Squall will let us know if its anything we're going to be involved in. He might just be setting up a field exam for this year's senior cadets."

"That's a possibility, there are a few cadets that look like they might be ready. We'll see, I guess." Irvine shrugged. They pulled into Balamb Station moments later. It wasn't a terribly long walk back to Balamb Garden from the train station, but they had a good bit of baggage to carry with them. They managed, but Irvine at least had seriously thought about renting a car for the final leg of their journey before remembering he'd just have to drive it back to Balamb afterward and walk back anyway.

He escorted Selphie to her room first, hugging her close and kissing her before reluctantly leaving her to go to his own room. The apartments that the SeeDs got were much larger and nicer than the dorm rooms that cadets and students got, but they weren't exactly lavish. It didn't matter much to Irvine, since he traveled a lot, as did most active SeeDs.

Once he got to his room, Irvine immediately busied himself with unpacking his overnight bag. Then he checked his guns, making sure the cleaning job he'd done at the gun range was acceptable before swiping an oiled rag over his handguns and his rifle and stowing it back in its case.

He spent the remainder of the afternoon puttering around his room, sorting out his laundry and in short, catching up on things that he'd let slide for awhile; either due to disinclination or simply lack of time. Finally, laundry sorted and ready for his next opportunity to do it, various cluttered corners re-organized, and the more obvious areas of grunge cleaned up, Irvine decided to make his way to the cafeteria for dinner.

As he walked he gazed around Garden, seeing faces that he knew, and some that he didn't. A few of those that he passed smiled and waved at him. He'd spent the better part of his life in Galbadia Garden. By rights, that _should_ have given him more of a sense of homecoming when he went back there to visit. But it was here in Balamb Garden where he'd spent the last three years that he'd found his true family. Childhood friends that he'd all but forgotten, the love of his life...

He stopped dead. The love of his life. Selphie. Irvine suddenly realized he'd been, in his way, just as stubborn and obtuse about his relationship with her as Squall had ever been with Rinoa. While Squall's tendencies ran toward isolation and avoidance when it came to emotional issues, Irvine's mechanism was deflection, distraction. When his feelings toward Selphie got too intense and scary, he'd surround himself with friends, flirt like mad, and basically distract himself from his fears. And distance himself from what he felt. Selphie, patient as she was with him, was not a saint and Irvine knew that sometimes his actions hurt her. Hell, that was probably _most_ of the time.

It was one of the reasons why they'd been on and off, hot and cold, for the last three years. There were times when Selphie's patience with Irvine's habits wore thin and there were times when Irvine just felt like he needed to breathe. But he loved Selphie. He'd loved her since he was a kid. He'd never, ever considered her to be like a sister to him, even as a child. He'd been telling the truth when he'd told Selphie on the train to Deling City that they were meant to be together.

He just needed to come to terms with the very real, very adult fear of what truly committing to that would mean. Even when they were "off", even when Irvine was surrounded with girls and having fun, even when he had opportunity, justification, even a blatant green light to go ahead and go for it, make the conquest… when it came right down to it, he just couldn't. He'd remember Selphie's sparkling emerald eyes. Her scent. The feel of her skin. The taste of her lips. He always, _always_, came back to her.

So why, _why_ did he feel like there was a noose tightening around his neck and strangling him every time he thought about marriage? It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, Irvine!" Zell's hail shook Irvine from his distraction, and he realized he'd been standing in the middle of the hallway with a completely stupid look on his face for who knew how long. Zell bounced up to him and grabbed his hand, shaking it and pounding his back.

"I heard you qualified man! Awesome! We're gonna kick ass in those games aren't we?" Zell said enthusiastically.

"Yup. That's a fact." Irvine replied.

"Yo, man, were you heading in to dinner?" Zell asked. Irvine nodded.

"Well cool, let's go grab a table then." Zell said, leading the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Irvine followed, still trying to shake off the disturbing thoughts he'd been having.

Once they'd gotten their food and found a table, Irvine looked around, wondering where Selphie was. _Hyne, I can't get her off my mind. Not even for a minute._ He thought, frowning.

"So, how was Deling City? I heard something about a little "incident" that happened this morning?" Zell asked. He took a bite of his dinner and waited for Irvine's answer.

Irvine sighed, "How did you hear about it? It only happened a few hours ago."

"Squall has standing orders with DCPD to notify him of any incidents involving Balamb SeeDs there. Actually, I think he said that _all _police agencies, not just Deling City's, were to notify him." Zell answered, sipping at his cola.

Irvine frowned, "Why? Stuff happens all the time, I can't believe Squall would want to bother with who got mugged, who got a DUI and who got a D and D after a weekend bender." He poked doubtfully at his entrée, wondering why he'd chosen it.

Zell shrugged, "Dunno. You'll have to ask him. He wants to talk to you after dinner anyway." Zell took another sip from his drink and prompted Irvine, "So, are you gonna tell me what this incident was all about?"

"A couple of street punks thought Selphie and I looked like a couple of good marks to rob. We showed them the error in their thinking and sent them both to a local hospital, and to jail from there." Irvine answered. He cautiously took a bite of his dinner. It wasn't terrible, but after the steak he'd had at Pike's, it was definitely under-whelming. He sighed.

Zell laughed, "I'll bet they won't try _that_ again!"

Irvine agreed, "let's hope so anyway." They continued eating their dinner, with Irvine occasionally scanning the cafeteria and wondering why Selphie hadn't shown up yet. He shook himself mentally, thinking, _you didn't directly tell her you'd meet her for dinner. She might have decided to eat earlier, or met up with Rinoa or Quistis to catch up. _ He decided worry was counter-productive and forcibly put it out of his mind.

"Hey, earth to Irvine! Where'd you go man?" Zell asked, waving his hand in front of his face.

Irvine blinked and frowned at him, "What?"

Zell snorted, "I'm sitting here talking about my qualifying match and you just sorta drifted off into space. What's up with you?"

Irvine stared at him. "I don't..Um.. Have you seen Selphie?"

Zell burst into laughter, "I get it! No, I haven't seen her, but I'll bet if you asked Quisty she'd know. I swear keeping up with you two is exhausting. You need a scorecard. So you on again this time?"

"Shut up Zell." Irvine growled. He got up to leave, fuming.

"Hey man, its cool. Just, you know..." Zell said. He let his voice trail off, but the concern in his eyes made Irvine feel like a larger than usual jerk. He knew what he was getting at. Zell had a brotherly concern for Selphie, and unfortunately, had been her soggy shoulder guy far more times on Irvine's account than he wanted to think about.

"Yeah, I know." Irvine sighed, "I'd better go see what Squall wanted." He gave Zell a half wave and left, feeling more than a little out of sorts. Dammit. Zell _had_ to remind him of that. He didn't deliberately set out to hurt Selphie, ever. It just sometimes happened that way, even when Irvine sincerely tried not to. At least he was good at making it up to her. Most of the time.

He couldn't really help that he liked girls of all sizes, shapes and types. He really enjoyed the way they lit up when he smiled and flirted back at them. And he felt truly warm inside when he left the shy, plain ones glowing from his attention. It was fun, and most of the time, _they_ were fun. Before he'd found Selphie, he might have taken it further. In Galbadia he'd been notorious for his conquests.

But that was before Selphie. Since finding her again, he'd been at near constant war with himself. Hence, the on again, off again, seesaw nature of their relationship. This time however, Irvine decided, it would be the last time. They were "on" this time, and Irvine would do his best to make sure they stayed that way. Where that would lead him… well, he wasn't ready to think about that. But he wasn't going to run anymore.

***

Irvine decided the best place to find Squall, despite the fact that it was past dinnertime, would be in his office. Sure enough, Squall himself answered the door at Irvine's knock.

"Figured you'd still be here. Zell told me you wanted to talk to me?" Irvine asked. Squall nodded and let Irvine enter. Going back to his desk, he sat down and picked up a small sheaf of paper.

"I have an assignment for you." Squall said without preamble.

Irvine asked, "Dollet?"

Squall nodded in answer. "I was going to call you when I heard you'd returned from Galbadia. I assume you qualified, right?"

Irvine snorted, "Of course. Best score yet. So, what's the hire?"

"Two weeks. Training sharpshooters with Dollet's army. The dukedom is having a lot of trouble along their northern border, up in the hills. Mostly Galbadian deserters that had turned to theft and smuggling among other illegal activities." Squall said, then he handed Irvine the stack of papers to look over.

"The terms are really generous. The Duke specifically asked for you and was willing to wait as long as necessary until you were available. He wanted the best, and everyone agrees, that's you." Squall waited while Irvine read the details of the contract he'd worked out with the Duke of Dollet. He hadn't exaggerated the man's adamant refusal to consider anyone other than Irvine Kinneas to teach his recruits how to shoot. Having seen how well Dollet's army had done in the past when pressed, Squall couldn't argue the need for specialized training.

Irvine frowned in concentration as he read the contract. The terms were indeed generous, and included temporary housing, a uniform allowance, a stipend for personal expenses and complete control over the training program. Irvine wasn't an instructor however. He hadn't even thought of getting an instructor's license.

"You _did_ tell them that I wasn't an instructor, right? That I don't have a license?" Irvine asked.

"I did, and it didn't matter. What they _want_ is someone who knows his craft down to his bones. A license doesn't compare to actual experience." Squall replied with a shrug, then added, "I've seen the firearms demos you do for Quistis' junior classes. She thinks you're a natural and should do well, and I agree with her."

"When do they want me there?" Irvine asked, tapping the contract restlessly against his palm.

"Tomorrow. I'll have Selphie fly you out on the Ragnarok at first light." Squall said.

Irvine sighed. Well, he'd had a feeling that Squall had another job for him; he was rarely idle for long.

"I guess I'd better go get my gear ready then." Irvine said. He turned to leave, then noticed that Squall remained sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen.

"Don't you have a wife to get home to?" Irvine demanded, exasperated.

"Rinoa's out with Selphie and Quistis for the evening." Squall answered absently. Irvine shook his head. It explained where Selphie had gotten to anyway.

"Well, how's this for an idea, _Commander_…go _home_ and wait for her." Irvine suggested.

Squall looked up, irritated, "Why? At least here I'll have something to do." Irvine shook his head and sighed.

"What?" Squall demanded.

"Have you even bothered to eat dinner?" Irvine asked.

Squall grimaced, "no, actually I haven't. And I should, I know. Especially since I've been training like a fiend for the last few weeks."

"That's right. You don't want to lose condition by not eating right." Irvine said. Squall nodded and shut his computer down. Then he stood up and came around his desk, heading for the door.

Irvine fell into step beside him as he left.

"So, how's the training going anyway?" Irvine asked.

"Tough, actually. Tougher than I thought." Squall answered, adding, "I dropped all my junctions three weeks ago so I could get used to training without them. I didn't realize how much I've relied on the Guardians until I stopped using them."

"You can still use GFs for the A-level though, can't you?" Irvine asked.

"I can use _one_. But no Guardians or stocked magic of any kind for any of the other events, as you know." Squall answered.

Irvine nodded. He did know, but it didn't matter to him because he normally didn't use GFs unless he was going into an actual battle situation. Unlike Squall, who, up until recently, was almost never without at least one Guardian. He'd had Shiva with him from the moment he'd walked through Balamb Garden's gates at seven years old. It explained a lot about why Squall's memories of his childhood were so much dimmer than anyone else's.

They came to the turn off for Irvine to head to his room, and he paused for a moment.

"So, are any memories coming back now that you've dropped your junctions?" Irvine asked.

"Some. They're getting clearer, anyway." Squall answered, the he added, "I still don't remember you though. Its odd, I remember everyone else from the orphanage, but not you."

"Well, you kept to yourself a lot, and we didn't see each other too much as kids. I was busy playing with Selphie and Zell. Then we all got split up. You know how that went." Irvine said.

Squall nodded, "Yeah, I know. Well, I'm gonna go eat. I'll give you an official mission briefing in the morning before you leave." He started to leave when Irvine stopped him.

"Squall, wait. I have a question to ask you." Irvine hesitated, then said, "you don't have to answer it if you don't want to.."

Squall frowned, "what is it?"

"Uh.." Irvine started, then swallowed, "what's it like? Being married?" _I can't believe I just asked him that! _ Irvine wouldn't blame Squall for just walking off and refusing to answer such a personal question. Friends or not, there were limits to just _how much_ he was willing to share. Irvine only knew what he saw, and both Squall and Rinoa seemed happy. That gave him hope. If it could work for _them_…

Squall stared at him for a moment, his expression unreadable. That wasn't too unusual though, Squall's expression tended to go blank when he was thinking. Then a slow smile spread across his features. It was the same expression of pure joy Irvine had seen the day he'd stood by his friend on his wedding day, almost a year earlier.

Smiling gently, Squall ducked his head for a moment, then answered softly, "It's great. Its not perfect, nothing is, but… Marrying Rinoa was the best thing I've ever done. I'll never regret it."

"Then go home and make sure she knows that." Irvine said, adding, "she may _already_ know, but it won't hurt to show her again."

"I will. Right after dinner." Squall began walking down the hall, saying, "see you in the morning, Irvine."

Irvine continued to his room and started to pack for his next assignment, feeling very lonely all of a sudden.


	4. Chapter 4: Things to do in Dollet

**Author's note**: I don't usually do these, but for this chapter, thought I needed to. I myself do not have a military background, but my father and his best friend both served in the armed forces. My dad was in the navy, and his friend, the air force then the army national guard. I _am_ however familiar with the handling and use of firearms. One of the events in this chapter is drawn from a real-life situation that my father's friend told me about. The sharpshooter in question however, was his late wife. This chapter then is a sort of homage to her memory. She passed away from cancer a year ago this march. Rest in peace, Lori.

Chapter 4: Things to do in Dollet…

The light of dawn was just staining the horizon with pink when Irvine walked out to the Ragnarok, rifle case in hand. His satchel was slung over one shoulder, and the other hand carried his duffel bag. He didn't bother packing anything other than the necessities. He'd have a clothing allowance, so he could purchase anything extra that he needed. Not that there'd be much.

While waiting for the others to show up, Irvine thought about how he'd go about training the students he'd be given. First thing, he figured, would be to set up a test to see exactly what he had to work with. Then, work on improving from there. So, start with the basics. With only two weeks to work with, Irvine didn't think he'd be able to turn _all_ of his students into true snipers, but he might just be able to turn them into passable shots at least.

Squall and Selphie both arrived at length, with Squall smartly attired in his SeeD uniform.

At Irvine's raised eyebrows, Squall said, "I need to see to some final details and introduce you to your liaison there. I'll give you the briefing en route."

"Do _I_ have to wear a uniform?" Irvine asked, dubiously.

Selphie smiled and walked into Irvine's embrace, saying, "you should, you look really good when you do." Irvine gave her an exasperated look. Looking good was nice and all, but not if it got you into trouble.

Squall snorted, "No, you don't have to. They included the uniform allowance in case you needed anything beyond what you'd brought. _If_ you decide to wear a uniform, go with the standard SeeD uniform, rather than Dollet's. You're a consultant, not a recruit."

"Yeah, I got that." Irvine said. They boarded the airship and Selphie took her accustomed position at the controls and typed in the commands to power up for takeoff. Irvine gave her a quick kiss before heading to one of the ship's conference rooms for his briefing with Squall.

"So, what else do I need to know about this assignment?" Irvine asked as they entered the room.

Squall closed the door behind them and said, "We're dropping you off at a garrison in Dollet's northeastern hills, where they've had the most activity. The Duke says that the incursions that they've had recently seem to be more organized than they used to be, and they're better armed. I checked with some of our contacts there and they've confirmed that it's more than just random lawlessness going on up there. They think there might be a warlord organizing them, possibly in preparation for a complete takeover."

"Wait. So, am I just training snipers for their army or what?" Irvine asked.

"Officially, yes. Obviously you're going into a hot zone so you'll also be expected to support them in whatever way you can." Squall replied. Irvine nodded. That was to be expected if the situation was as dangerous as it sounded.

"When we get there, you'll be introduced to First Lieutenant Carly Michaels. She'll be your liaison with the regular army. She'll take you on a tour of the base and help you get familiar with the facilities you'll have at your disposal." Squall said.

"Any questions?" he added.

Irvine shook his head, "No, I've got it. Sounds pretty straightforward. Train newbies. Shoot bad guys. Standard Operational Procedure."

Squall snorted and headed toward the door, opening it and leading the way back to the cockpit to check on their ETA with Selphie. Irvine followed.

"We should be arriving in a few minutes," Selphie said, answering Squall's question before he could ask.

Appropriating the co-pilot's seat for a moment, Squall keyed the comm-link to inform those waiting for them at the Dollet garrison of their imminent arrival.

They landed moments later, and were met with several high-ranking officers in full dress uniforms, waiting for them as Squall, Selphie and Irvine descended the ramp to greet them.

"Commander Leonhart, thank you for coming." The most decorated of the officers said, offering Squall a salute.

"General DeVray," Squall said, returning the salute. Indicating Irvine, then Selphie, he added, "This is Irvine Kinneas. Marksman First Class, A-Level SeeD, and Selphie Tilmitt. Technical Specialist, Aeronautics, level 20; our pilot."

"Mr. Kinneas, we are honored to have you here." The general said. Indicating the other officers with him, the general introduced them each in turn.

"This is the base commander, Colonel Jarfa." A slim, steel-haired man stepped forward and saluted. Squall returned the salute, and Irvine did as well with an inward sigh. Military protocol was a real pain sometimes.

He began to feel that wearing his uniform might have been a good move on his part, but since Squall didn't specifically _order_ him to, he didn't bother with it. And that was what it usually took for Irvine to put on an actual uniform. He shared Squall's dislike of wearing them unless necessary. Unfortunately for Squall, he had to wear _his_ uniform far more than he liked, since he acted in an official capacity for SeeD as a regular part of his job.

The general continued with his introductions, "This is First Lieutenant Michaels, who will be your base liaison," he indicated an attractive young brunette, who stepped forward with a salute.

Irvine tipped his hat cordially, eyes twinkling, "ma'am." _Time spent in the company of a pretty lady is never wasted, _he thought privately. Then he gave himself a mental kick. Thoughts like _those_ were the ones that tended to get him into trouble. This was going to be a tougher assignment than he thought.

"And this is Major Burnside, who is in charge of our firing range. Anything you need, just request it of him and he'll accommodate you." The last of the figures stepped forward and offered a salute. Irvine and Squall both returned the salute in kind, and Irvine sized the man up as he did.

Every inch of him screamed "lifer", from the iron jaw to the closely shaved head and the precise nature of his movements and dress. Then Irvine met the man's eyes. In an otherwise expressionless face, they burned with cold fire. Obviously, the man was _not_ happy about having a shave-tail mercenary half his age taking over his gun range for the duration of his stay.

It made Irvine wonder just how _accommodating_ the Major would be.

***

Once the introductions were concluded, Squall dismissed Irvine to get his gear from the Ragnarok while he remained with the general, apparently continuing to discuss details about the job. While not the most diplomatic of people, Squall on occasion _could_ put on a semblance of civility when dealing with clients.

He headed back up the ramp, Selphie following him. Once out of casual sight of those on the ground, he turned around and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. He'd wanted to do that all morning but the briefing with Squall and Selphie's piloting duties had precluded that action.

Hugging her tightly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, drinking in her scent. Pulling back, he cradled her face in his hands and kissed her, running his hands through her hair while losing himself to the kiss. Her arms encircled him tightly while they kissed. They finally came up for air after several minutes, with Irvine simply cradling her head against his chest, stroking her hair.

"I'm gonna miss you sweetheart." He said softly.

"Me too," Selphie replied.

Then she pushed at his chest, saying, "you'd better get your stuff, I don't think they'll want to be kept waiting while you make out with me." Irvine sighed and nodded, then grabbed his satchel, gun case and duffel bag. Then he walked down the ramp again, with Selphie alongside.

She stopped at the bottom of the ramp and Irvine continued on for a few more strides before he stopped, turned around and walked back to her.

"I'll call you, when I get a chance." He said. He didn't want to leave. He also didn't want to analyze his sudden reluctance to leave Selphie to do his job. It was going to be a long two weeks without her.

He leaned in for another kiss, not giving a rat's ass about professionalism. That was Squall's hang-up, not his. Let them see. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen a hundred young men just like him do the same thing with their girlfriends.

"I love you baby, " he whispered. Someone called his name; a reminder that he had a job to do. He turned and left, continuing on his way toward Squall and the other officers, leaving Selphie standing alone at the foot of the Ragnarok's boarding ramp.

It was time to focus. Time to work.

***

The first day was spent getting familiar with the layout of the base, his temporary quarters in the barracks and inspecting what the gun range had to offer. Irvine's initial assessment of the range master was unfortunately accurate. The man's attitude was that of obviously enforced tolerance. He didn't obstruct anything Irvine tried to do, but it was like pulling teeth to get any sort of cooperation out of the man.

The range was adequate, nothing fancy, and not nearly long enough for what Irvine wanted to do, but he could work around it.

That evening, Irvine sat in his barracks room, typing away at the laptop he'd brought with him, working on his lesson plan. Mobile service was virtually nonexistent in the area, so he was telling Selphie the literal truth when he'd said he'd call her when he could. He just didn't know when exactly that would be. It also meant that even email was unavailable.

It was early summer, and it was hot in Dollet at that time of the year, especially in the hill country. Giving in to the breathless heat and humidity, Irvine had long since removed his duster and hat, and had opened all the windows he could in his room to try and get a little ventilation to make things a little more bearable. The fitful breeze helped a little, but only just.

Frowning in concentration, Irvine reached absently into his duffel bag to pull a lollipop from the stash he'd brought with him. Cherry. His favorite. Sticking it in his mouth, he continued to type away. A knock at his door startled him and his head jerked up. First Lieutenant Michaels waved at him through the open window and he stood up to let her in.

"Sorry to bother you, but I just thought I'd stop by to remind you that dinner's going to be serving soon, so if you want to eat, you might want to get ready to go." She said, eyeing his casual attire with interest. It consisted of a vest in a deep violet color, a shumi tribal necklace, jeans and cowboy boots. She didn't much care for either Galbadians or mercenaries, but the lanky sniper was certainly handsome enough to make her rethink her earlier prejudice.

Pulling his lollipop from his mouth, Irvine said, "Thanks. I'll head down there in just a little bit." Sticking the lollipop back into his mouth, he turned back to his laptop and started saving his work and shutting it down.

Watching him, the first lieutenant observed, "You looked pretty hard at work there. Ready to meet your students tomorrow?"

Irvine, now crunching on the candy, said, "Yeah. I'm working on a test to get a sense of their skill level so I know where to start." Stashing his laptop in the footlocker he'd been provided with, Irvine locked it securely. Then he grabbed his hat and settled it on his head before following the first lieutenant out of his quarters and to the mess hall.

"Well," said the first lieutenant, "I don't know what you're used to, but this is army food. So, just a friendly warning."

Irvine snorted and waved his now chewed up lollipop stick, "that's why I brought these. Figured I'd need something to get the taste out of my mouth."

The young woman laughed, "I'd wondered about that."

They made it to the mess hall early enough to avoid a long wait, got their dinner and appropriated a table. The first lieutenant was right about the food. It was army food. Which, in Irvine's opinion, made the offerings at Balamb Garden's cafeteria seem like haute cuisine by comparison. Well, he'd eaten worse. Most notably, his own cooking, which was bad enough it had goaded Squall into learning how to cook in self-defense when they'd been on their quest to defeat Ultimecia.

"So, have you ever been to Dollet before?" the first lieutenant asked.

Irvine nodded, "A couple of times. It's really nice down by the coast, now that they've cleaned it up after the Galbadian conflict from a few years back."

"Yeah, the beach was pretty wrecked. It took awhile to get all the mines and other debris picked up so it'd be safe for tourists again. They just reopened it earlier this year." The young officer studied Irvine for a moment, then added, "You know, not everybody here is happy about having a Galbadian mercenary teaching us how to shoot."

Irvine put down the drink he'd been sipping at, and responded, "Well, I can't do much about being Galbadian. I was born there. And as far as being a mercenary goes, well, I happen to like my job and I'm very good at it. Besides, SeeD has pulled your collective asses out of the fire more than once."

"I didn't mean to offend you." The young woman said.

"I wasn't offended. But I _do_ get tired of being judged." Irvine said seriously. Studying the congealed remains of his dinner, Irvine decided he was finished anyway.

Standing up to leave, he tipped his hat politely to the young officer and said, "thank you for the pleasure of your company ma'am. Hope you have a pleasant evening." Picking up his tray, he disposed of its contents and stacked it with the rest of the dirty trays waiting to be washed, and walked out of the mess hall, heading back to his quarters.

He was halfway to his barracks room when it struck him that he hadn't tried to flirt with the young officer. Not once. The thought hadn't even occurred to him. Irvine found that decidedly odd. Then he shrugged it off as a combination of fatigue and preoccupation with his first day of training. Yeah. That had to be it.

Upon entering his room, Irvine tried his mobile phone and sighed. Still no signal. There _were _payphones near the mess hall for soldiers who wanted to phone home. It wasn't a foreign base, after all, so any soldier could call as long as he could afford the rates. Irvine had a good amount of gil on him, but he _was_ actually pretty tired, so he decided to go to bed and maybe try calling Selphie tomorrow.

The next morning Irvine arrived at the gun range after a quick breakfast of coffee, eggs and toast. He wondered if wearing his SeeD uniform would help him with his presentation. It probably would have, but as he hadn't brought it, he shrugged it off as pointless speculation. Instead, he wore a plain black t-shirt with the SeeD emblem embroidered in the upper left corner, and a pair of jeans, along with his usual cowboy boots and hat. Fortunately, he was the first person there, beating even the Major by several minutes. That gave him a chance to organize his notes, get the targets ready and load his Exeter.

The major arrived a few minutes later, and glowered darkly at Irvine, apparently offended that he'd been beaten to the range. Irvine ignored the man's glare, though the major's attitude was irritating to say the least.

After several minutes of oppressive silence, Irvine finally said, "you have something to say to me Major, then say it."

"I'm the range master here. I taught everyone on this base how to use their weapons. I've done it for longer than you've been _alive_ boy. What makes you think that you can teach _anybody anything_ that I don't already know?" the major growled.

Irvine understood and could even somewhat sympathize with the man's sentiments. If their positions were reversed, he'd feel exactly the same way. He knew his youth would work against him here. He was only twenty years old and this man, as he'd said, had twice his age and experience in teaching raw recruits how to handle various types of ordinance without killing themselves or anyone that they didn't intend to.

But Irivine's skills weren't _just_ in handling firearms. There was a reason he'd made A-level as a SeeD in only two years.

"You know, I could list all of my qualifications and commendations to you, but I'm pretty sure Commander Leonhart already did that when he negotiated our contract with your general. If you want proof of it, I'm more than willing to show you what I can do." Irvine challenged. His students had begun arriving at this point and some of the early birds had caught this exchange and the underlying tension that caused it. A whisper circulated among the group and more began arriving until the entire class had assembled. All paying close attention and all eerily silent, waiting. The major saw this and frowned.

Glaring coldly at Irvine, Major Burnside said, "go ahead _boy_, show me what you got."

"Do you have a deck of cards?" Irvine asked, then added, "preferably one that you don't mind me destroying."

"I do, sir." One of the students came up and handed Irvine a deck of well-worn triple triad cards. Shuffling through them, Irvine was relieved to find that they were all basic, low-level cards. No rare or custom made cards. Irvine would have felt badly about damaging them in that case.

Handing the cards back to the volunteer, Irvine instructed him, "Go to the far end of the range. The _very _end. And place one card in the holder there. When I tell you to, place the next card _behind_ the first one. Keep doing it until we run out of cards or I miss one."

Handing the young man a whistle and a walkie-talkie, Irvine said, "give me a toot when you're ready and out of the way." The soldier trotted off as ordered.

"You want to make a wager on this, major?" Irvine asked as he affixed the scope to his rifle and added the bipod to support and steady the barrel. He got out the required ear protectors, draping them around his neck while he waited for the major's response.

"What's the wager?" the man asked warily.

"100 gil for each card I hit." Irvine said.

The major snorted, "That's a fool's bet."

Irvine glanced back at the major, eyebrows raised. "Lets make it more challenging then. I have to hit each card dead center, _through_ the bullet hole in the first card without damaging it."

"At 1,000 meters." The major stated. Irvine nodded.

"What if you miss?" the major asked. The surrounding students remained silent, fascinated.

"1000 gil for each card I miss. _If_ I miss." Irvine stated confidently.

"How many cards were in that deck?" the major asked.

Irvine shrugged, "about thirty."

Suddenly the major stuck out his hand, "you're on cowboy." Irvine shook the major's hand and finished getting ready. The whistle sounded indicating that the target had been set.

He called up the soldier at the end of the range on the walkie-talkie and made sure he was out of the way, then settled his Exeter on the board in the stall he'd chosen. He pulled up his ear protectors, managing to get them to cover his ears without interfering with his hat, and then he was ready.

Sighting in on the card, Irvine took a deep breath and waited for a moment. When his mind stilled, he focused on his target and pulled the trigger. He saw the hole appear dead center on the card and he shot the bolt back on his rifle in satisfaction, ejecting the brass.

He checked with the young man at the end of the range and when the whistle sounded again, he sighted in on the second card, shooting straight through his original bullet hole to hit the card behind it.

Each time, he took a deep breath, cleared his mind and focused on his target. Each time, he hit it without fail.

By the time Irvine had shot through ten cards, the major allowed that the boy was a good shot.

By twenty, he was amazed. He knew SeeDs were elite soldiers, but he'd never seen marksmanship like _this_.

The major watched with the students as Irvine systematically, methodically shot through all thirty cards without a single miss. By the time he was done, the major knew two things for certain. First thing was that the young SeeD had _earned_ his rank and commendations despite his youth, and second, was that he owed the young man an apology. And a whole lot of gil.

As Irvine shot the bolt on his rifle for the last time and ejected the casing, the major came up to him and said, "I have to admit, I am impressed. You'll have to wait until payday for me to settle up our wager though."

Irvine shrugged, "well, I'm not in a big hurry. Whenever you can." Then he turned to face the assembled students.

"Well, this wasn't exactly the way I had intended to start this class, but it's a good demonstration of what I can do and what I hope to teach you to do. My name's Irvine Kinneas. And yes, I'm Galbadian. Yes, I am a mercenary. Specifically, I'm a SeeD from Balamb Garden. You all should know who and what SeeD is, Dollet has hired us to assist in certain situations in the past." The students all nodded.

Resting the butt of his rifle on the board, careful to keep the muzzle facing away from everyone, Irvine continued, "I'm pretty sure all of you know how to shoot. That's not what I'm going to teach you to do. This is sniper training. So, what you all need is a good, high-powered rifle, scope, bipod and very, very good eyesight." Hefting his rifle, Irvine said, "This is an excellent example of the type of weapon you'll need. This is a custom made Exeter model rifle, modified to shoot anything from shotgun shells to pulse ammo. Obviously this is not a standard issue weapon, but you _can_ use one, provided you're completely familiar with its capabilities."

Laying his rifle down on the board, Irvine instructed, "What I'd like to do right now is to test you all to see what your abilities are. Each of you, choose a stall. I'll be along to inspect your weapons, then at my order, you'll each fire one round at the target in front of you. The range is 300 meters, and this is just so I know where you are with regards to accuracy at that range."

The students fanned out, each choosing a stall. Irvine followed, checking each rifle. Making sure the bolt slid smoothly, the barrel was clean and free of any corrosion, and all the components were in good working order. Satisfied that there would be no trouble from faulty equipment, Irvine ordered them all to lock, load, and sight.

"Lock and load!" he called. Multiple clicks sounded as the soldiers loaded their rifles.

"Ready!" as one, rifles were raised and settled against shoulders.

"Aim!" the rifles steadied.

"FIRE!" as one, the shots cracked out.

Irvine lowered the ear protectors and called out, "Weapons down!" Each student laid his rifle down on the board in front of him. Irvine checked each and assured himself none were loaded, then sent each student to retrieve his own target. After making sure his students had put his or her name on their target, Irvine collected them all and had them set up for another round at the same distance.

They shot several more rounds, one more at 300 meters, three at 500 meters, and three at 800 meters. Once they had completed that, Irvine had all the students collect their casings, clean and secure their weapons and follow him to a classroom where he continued with the rest of his instruction by analyzing each student's performance on the range. By the time he got through all of them, it was noon and time to break for lunch.

"Okay, its lunch time, be back here at 13:00 and we'll continue with ballistics." Irvine said, and started packing up all of his notes, the stack of paper targets his trainees had generated and his gun case. He'd cleaned and oiled his rifle while the students had been doing the same with their own weapons, so that task at least was out of the way. As he was getting ready to leave, the Major stopped him.

"I must admit. You're a lot better than I thought. Although this is all pretty basic stuff." He commented.

"I haven't actually started _teaching_ anything yet. This was for the students, and me, so we'd all know where we were starting from and what we needed to work on. The _real_ work starts after lunch." Irvine said, making his way out of the classroom.

The major followed, saying, "ballistics, huh? Thought you were supposed to teach 'em how to be snipers."

"I am, and ballistics is at the heart of it. You need to know exactly where the bullet is going to go and how it's going to get there in order to hit the target each time. Its not guesswork, its science." Irvine said seriously. Then he gave a nod to the major and headed to his barracks, stowing his gear and his rifle before going to the mess hall to eat.

***

"Hssst! Carly! Over here!" First Lieutenant Carly Michaels had just gotten her lunch and heard her friend, Corporal Sashi Rivers, calling to her. Craning her neck around, she finally located her friend's table and made her way over.

"Hey Sashi, how was class this morning?" the young officer asked, sitting down next to her.

"It was _amazing_! I've _never_ seen _anyone_ shoot like our instructor! Plus, you never mentioned how good-looking he is!" Sashi gushed. Another student that shared Carly and Sashi's table rolled his eyes.

Sashi glared at him, "Ok Kev, _you_ might not care that he's cute, but you have to admit, the guy _can_ shoot!"

The other student, Kev, sipped at his drink and nodded, "Yeah, no argument there. They definitely picked the right guy to teach sharp-shooting, that's for sure."

"I'm glad to hear that things went well," Carly said, then she frowned, "I heard some kind of scuttlebutt about a bet? Between Mr. Kinneas and Major Hardass Burnside?"

"Oh, my GOD! You should have seen it Carly! Mr. Kinneas took Major Burnside for _3,000 gil _on that bet!" Sashi said, laughing.

"_Seriously_? What was the bet?" the young officer asked.

The other student, Kev, spoke up, "Mr. Kinneas bet Major Burnside that he could shoot dead center through a deck of cards, one by one, without a single miss."

The First Lieutenant snorted, "That's a sucker bet, the Major wouldn't have gone for it."

"Well, no," replied Kev, "not if Mr. Kinneas had _just_ shot through the cards. To make it more interesting, he shot through one card, then had Steve over there put each successive card behind the first one. The bet was that Mr. Kinneas could shoot through the original bullet hole on the first card without causing further damage to it and hit the card behind it. At a distance of one thousand meters. He bet the Major 100 gil for each card he hit, against 1,000 gil for each card he missed. There were thirty cards in the deck, and Mr. Kinneas didn't miss a single one. Dead perfect, each shot. Saw the cards myself afterward, right Steve?"

"Sure did," answered Steve, the student whose cards had been used for the bet. He still had them, not sure why other than perhaps as an incentive for him to improve his own shooting skill.

"Hey, by the way Carly, did you get to meet Commander Leonhart yesterday?" Sashi asked, curious.

"I did." Carly answered.

"Really? What's he like?" Sashi asked.

The First Lieutenant paused, thinking back to that brief meeting. Her initial impression had been right in line with what she'd heard about him. He'd been polite, but definitely lacking in warmth. Looking into those cold azure eyes had given her a chill.

"Well, he was polite, but not what you'd call friendly." Carly answered.

"Was he as handsome up close as he was in the photos I've seen?" Sashi asked.

The First Lieutenant sighed. Her best friend and former roommate had had a crush on the young SeeD commander ever since she'd seen a picture of him in the Gunblade Issue of Weapons Monthly a while back.

"Yes, and he was taller than I thought he'd be." Carly answered, adding mentally, _and about as remote as a beautiful marble statue. _

"Really?" Sashi sighed, "I wish I'd been there. Friendly or not, it would have been nice to meet him."

Carly shrugged, "well, maybe you'll get a chance someday. You never know."

She checked her watch. She had to be back to work in a few minutes, so she finished up her lunch and got ready to leave.

"I've gotta go. Hope the rest of your day goes as well as the morning did." She said.

"Me too. Mr. Kinneas said we were going to be studying ballistics after lunch today." Sashi shuddered, "that means there's going to be a LOT of math. Ugh."

"Well, good luck guys, take it easy." Carly said, leaving the mess hall.

***

There was indeed, a great deal of math involved in the study of ballistics. Despite some quiet groans from some of the students, Irvine forged ahead and drilled them relentlessly on how to calculate the trajectory of a projectile over certain distances, accurately predicting where it would end up. He taught them how far different types of bullets would fly if unobstructed. He related it to how far the bullet would drop over various distances, and how it could be used in sight calibration.

Wrapping up at the end of the afternoon, Irvine asked the class, "any questions or comments about all this? It's a lot to take in if you're just used to pointing and shooting."

"Do _you_ use all of this? Like, when you're out in the field, do you actually _do_ all of these calculations?" the young soldier, Kev asked.

Irvine nodded, "Yes, I do. With enough practice, you'll know exactly how fast your rifle will shoot a given bullet, how far that bullet will fly, how far it will drop and how to make sure you hit your target each and every time. It becomes second nature. When you get to that point, then you'll be a sharpshooter. Once you're a sharpshooter, you can learn to become a sniper."

Sashi raised her hand, "what's the difference? Between a sharpshooter and a sniper? I thought they were one and the same."

Irvine shook his head, answering seriously, "A sharpshooter is simply shooting at a stationary target over a measured distance in a controlled environment. A sniper is applying that skill in a real world situation, shooting at a living, sometimes moving, target in an uncontrolled environment."

"Mr. Kinneas?" another student asked, "which are you then, a sharpshooter or a sniper?"

"I was a sharpshooter first, but now I'm a sniper." Irvine answered.

Steven raised his hand and asked, "What's your kill count?"

Irvine studied the young man, caught off guard by the question. He appeared to be close to Irvine's own age of twenty, as were most of his students, though some were actually older than he was. Up to this point, he'd been enjoying himself, even while teaching the intense mathematic formulas involved in the study of ballistics. His good humor suddenly vanished however when the young soldier casually asked how many people he'd killed. He knew there was an official record at Balamb Garden, but he himself never bothered to keep count. He did his best instead not to think about it. He was a sniper, which to some people, was just another word for assassin.

"That's classified." Irvine answered flatly.

Addressing the rest of the class, Irvine said, "that's it for today. Meet me at the shooting range tomorrow morning at 0600 and we'll see if we can put all this theory into practice. For this week, that's pretty much all we'll be doing, practicing and analyzing our performance, working on improving accuracy. Next week, we'll be doing fieldwork. Class dismissed."

Irvine began gathering up his materials and the classwork he'd had his students working on as they filed out of the classroom. Checking his watch, he was surprised to note that it was nearly dinnertime. Which didn't leave him much time to go over the students' papers and get prepared for the next day. He wanted to call Selphie after dinner also, before it got too late. He needed to talk to her, that question about his kill count had bothered him.

Irvine acknowledged that his shooting skills had directed and influenced his choice of careers, and for the most part, didn't have a problem with it. In the heat of battle, you did what you had to do. But a sniper's skill was based on calculation, planning. In a sense, it was sanctioned premeditated murder. Killing in a battle situation was not something that Irvine had a problem with. Killing to save someone's life or prevent a larger loss of life down the road, also not something that bothered him.

Cold-blooded murder did. Fortunately, SeeD did not as a rule accept requests that involved political assassination. Irvine's first assignment to assassinate Sorceress Edea was an exception to that rule. And that was an internal Garden matter, as she had threatened the existence of the military academies themselves by taking over Galbadia Garden. To date, that assignment was his only failure, and it could be argued that he didn't actually _miss_ his target; she'd blocked the bullet with her magic.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Irvine was not aware that a student had remained behind until a quiet cough caught his attention. Looking up, he saw one of the three girls that were in his class.

_What's her name? Rivers? Corporal Rivers? _

"Hi," she said hesitantly, "Mr. Kinneas? I have a question."

Irvine smiled at her. She was a cute little thing, blonde haired and blue eyed, with a sweet-looking, heart-shaped face.

"Class is over Corporal Rivers, its just Irvine now." Leaning back against the table at the front of the classroom, Irvine crossed his arms.

"What can I help you with Corporal?" He prompted.

"Its uh, its Sashi." She said, and hesitated, biting her lip, then asked, "How important is all that ballistics stuff, really? I'm having a really hard time with the math part."

"Its very important. Yeah, it's hard. But you practice enough and you'll just about be able to do it in your head. You have to know how the bullet flies so you can place it where you want it." Irvine answered.

Sashi nodded, then sighed, "This is really intense stuff. I can't believe you're actually teaching this and you're not much older than me."

"I grew up in a military academy. I was learning this stuff at age ten." Irvine turned back to his materials.

Gathering it all up, he added, "You'll get it. Just keep practicing. Your shooting scores are already really good, although you start to pull off to the left a bit at the longer distances. This is just the first day. We've got all week."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sashi said.

Irvine started for the door, and the young corporal followed.

"Well, I've got to go over all these papers before dinner. So, I guess I'll see you in the morning, Sashi." He said, walking toward his barracks.

"Okay, Irvine, see you then." Sashi smiled and waved, and Irvine smiled back before continuing to his quarters.

An hour later, he made his way to the mess hall. From the classwork he'd seen, the trainees seemed to already have a fairly good grasp on ballistics. He'd keep drilling them for the next few days until it was almost second nature. It was a good group of students though. He'd commented on that to the major, and he told Irvine that they'd selected the best shots out of all those who'd signed up to take sniper training. Irvine was encouraged. They'd make snipers yet.

After he'd gotten his tray Irvine started looking for a place to sit. Seeing the young Lieutenant Michaels sitting with some friends, he made his way over.

"Is this seat taken ladies?" he asked with his most winning smile. A chorus of "no's" and headshakes gave him leave to sit down.

"How's everything going with the class so far Mr. Kinneas?" the first lieutenant asked.

"Irvine, please. And it's going fine, got a good bunch of students to work with. How about you, Lieutenant?" Irvine answered, starting on his dinner.

"Carly, since we're being informal. Fine. Can't complain much." Carly answered. Just then Sashi arrived and was surprised to see Irvine sitting next to her friend.

"Hi! Didn't expect to see you again so soon, Irvine. Hi Carly!" she greeted them and sat down.

"Well, a guy's gotta eat, even if it _is_ army food." Irvine responded.

"Could be worse," Sashi said.

"Yeah, I could be forced to cook my _own_ food. Trust me, it ain't pretty." Irvine said.

"That bad, huh?" Carly said.

"Bad enough it forced Squall to learn how to cook so he wouldn't have to eat my cooking when we were working together. The kindest thing that could have been said about my attempts to cook was that it made really good charcoal. Grilling _anything_ is not my strong suit." Irvine said.

"Squall? You mean Commander Leonhart?" Sashi asked, perking up.

Carly groaned, "Sashi, not this again…?"

"Not what again?" Irvine asked, looking from Sashi to her friend Carly and back again.

"Sashi is totally obsessed with Commander Leonhart. She's had a thing for him since that weapons monthly feature on gunblades." Carly explained.

"Carly, you have to admit, those pictures of him with his gunblade were really, _really_ hot!" Sashi protested.

Irvine started laughing. The notion of Squall Leonhart as a pinup model was hysterical.

"You have no idea how _pissed_ he was when that issue came out." Irvine laughed, "Squall _never _gives interviews, ever. When Weapons Monthly contacted him about their gunblade issue, he figured they'd just be talking about his gunblade collection. So here he is, showing off his favorite gunblades, and they're snapping away with the camera. At _him_, not his gunblades. Just his rotten luck he's so damn photogenic."

"You sound like you know him pretty well," Carly commented.

Irvine nodded, "you could say that."

"I don't care what you say Carly, I'd still love to meet him." Sashi said staunchly.

"I could arrange that. I might have to twist his arm a little, but I'm pretty sure I can get him to cooperate," Irvine said, then added, "just don't ask for his autograph. He really hates that."

"Really?" Sashi said, "Oh, Irvine that would be so _awesome _if you could do that!"

"What can I say? Anything for a pretty girl." Irvine said with a wink. Carly snorted. Irvine grinned at her.

"What's the matter darlin'? Jealous? There's enough of me to go around," Irvine said, warming to the interchange.

"I rather doubt that," Carly responded archly.

"Carly, I'm hurt." Irvine said with a grin, dramatically placing his hand over his heart. Carly and everyone else laughed at the lighthearted exchange.

Irvine glanced at his watch. It was getting late and he wanted to call Selphie before she went to bed.

"Well, ladies, I can tell when I'm not wanted here any more," he said with an exaggerated sigh, " so I guess I'd better go."

"We didn't mean to hurt your feelings.." Sashi said, concerned.

Irvine smiled and winked again, "you didn't. Its just time for me to head out and get ready for tomorrow."

"Good night Irvine," Carly said. Sashi and the others echoed her. Irvine tipped his hat, still smiling, and left, in a much better frame of mind than he had been earlier.

He headed toward the payphones, counting out his gil as he did and hoping he had enough for a long distance call to Balamb. The phone rang three times before Selphie answered, and Irvine sighed at hearing her voice.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey sweetie, its me. How're you doing?" Irvine asked, leaning back against the outside of the pay phone. The cord was almost too short for him to do that, so he had to tilt his head slightly at a rather awkward angle.

"Fine, busy as usual. What about you? How's the training going?" Selphie asked.

"Pretty good so far. Got a good bunch to work with, so I don't think there'll be any problem with me turning them into decent snipers." He answered. The awkward angle was starting to hurt his neck, so he shifted his position a little, holding the handset against his ear and ducking his head a little to give the cable a little slack.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad things are going well for you Irvine," Selphie responded.

"Yeah," Irvine sighed. "So, how's everyone else?"

"They're doing fine. Quistis is going out with another SeeD from Galbadia Garden now. We keep after her to let us meet him but we haven't managed that yet." Selphie answered.

"Really? 'Bout time Quisty found someone." Irvine said, smiling. _Quistis dating again? Will wonders never cease? _He thought. He hoped she found a good guy this time. The last relationship she'd been in had ended badly. Badly enough that Irvine had seriously considered hunting the bastard down. Fortunately, cooler heads had prevailed in _that_ little debacle.

"You think you can get away to Dollet this weekend?" Irvine asked. He was on assignment, but not twenty-four seven; he knew he'd have the weekend free to go into town if he wanted to.

"I think I can arrange that." She said.

"Good," Irvine said, the sighed, "I miss you baby. I really want to see you."

"Irvine, it's only been one day," Selphie said with a slight laugh.

"I know, it's silly isn't it?" he said.

"No," she answered softly. "Not really. I miss you too."

"Feels good to hear your voice," Irvine said.

"Same here." Selphie said.

"Well, I guess I'd better go, it's got to be plenty late there." Irvine said.

"Yeah, I've got to get to bed." Selphie said.

"Talk to you later then. I love you sweetie." Irvine said softly.

"I love you too."


	5. Chapter 5: When You're Dead

Chapter 5: …When You're Dead.

The rest of the week passed in the same manner the first day did. Shooting drills in the mornings, classwork in the afternoons. By Friday, Irvine was suitably impressed with the progress his students had made and let them know it.

They all had the technical skills required to be sharpshooters, now it remained to be seen if they had the mental stamina to be snipers. Not everyone did. It wasn't a job for the impatient.

Irvine had already discussed with Colonel Jarfa where he and his putative snipers might best be utilized, so come Monday morning, they'd all be heading out to an area that would benefit from their presence.

But now, it was Friday afternoon, he had the weekend free, and he was meeting Selphie at the train station in town that evening. He just needed to figure out how to get there. As remote as the base was, there was no way Irvine could walk it and hope to get there in time.

Irvine walked out of the classroom as his students dispersed, still pondering his dilemma, and started across the compound toward his quarters.

"Hey, Irvine!" One of the students called out, "A bunch of us are going into town later, you want to come along and grab a couple of beers?"

"Yeah, I do. What time are you planning on leaving?" Irvine asked.

The young man consulted with his friends and answered, "Around six or so."

"Knock on my door when you're ready to go." Irvine said, relieved that the problem of how to get to town had resolved itself. Now it was just a matter of getting to the train station in time to pick up Selphie.

A short while later a knock sounded at the door. Irvine opened it to see the young man who'd offered the ride into town.

"You ready?" he asked. Irvine nodded, grabbed his hat and keys and they left.

"So, is it Sergeant Towsen? Mick?" Irvine asked, trying to recall the fellow's name. They were walking toward the garrison's unpaved parking area, dust kicking up in the oppressive heat with each stride.

"Yeah." Sergeant Towsen answered. They approached a very utilitarian-looking vehicle, an older model off-road type with an open top, roll bars and the obligatory floodlights on the top. It was a very basic, no frills ride, notable for its lack of a back seat. Apparently, that was a frill that was deemed unnecessary. The vehicle appeared to be more on the order of a pick-up truck with a _very_ short bed.

Several other young men and women from the base, most of them from Irvine's class, though some were not, had gathered around Sergeant Towsen's ride and Irvine wondered how they'd all fit.

"Hey Mick, hey Irvine," one of the young men greeted them. Irvine recognized him as one of the young men in his class, Steve, the soldier whose cards he'd shot up.

"Hey Steve." Mick greeted him back.

"Howdy Steve." Irvine nodded.

Getting his keys out, Mick said, "everybody hop in, let's get the hell outta here while the gettin's good!" A spontaneous cheer broke out and everyone started piling into the SUV. Irvine hopped in as well and found himself a good spot that had something he could hold onto.

Mick got into the driver's seat and a girl jumped into the passenger seat, then he fired up the engine and they took off.

The first few miles of the ride was unpaved and very rough, and Irvine was glad he'd chosen a spot with a handhold. Fortunately, it wasn't long before they were on a paved if only slightly less rough and winding road.

Irvine held onto his hat as they careened down the hill, laughing and whooping along with the rest of the passengers at the exhilarating ride. They all held on as best they could so no one would be tossed out, but an ill-timed bump did throw a young woman right into Irvine's lap.

"Whoa there darlin'!" he laughed, grabbing onto her to hold her steady. There was a jostling scramble as they both tried to right each other while dealing with the uneven ride. At one point she fell forward and her hand, with her full weight behind it, landed far too close to Irvine's groin for comfort. As it was, the contact was painful. Irvine sighed in quiet relief that her hand had not landed just two inches to the left of where it ended up.

"Hey Mick!" Irvine hollered at the driver, "you'd better settle down or someone's gonna get hurt!"

"Sorry guys!" Mick called back, "that pothole caught me by surprise, I'll slow it down a little!"

About midway toward town the road smoothed out and Irvine, after making sure his hat was still firmly on his head, began to enjoy the wind in his face and the company he was keeping. The scenery as they were coming out of the hills was stunning, the sharp, piney scent of the trees, invigorating. Wildflowers and raspberry bushes lined the roadway, and the trees, both evergreen and aspen, alternated between shading the road and allowing the sun to spear through.

"I'm Jenna." Said the girl who'd ended up in Irvine's lap earlier, offering a handshake.

"Irvine." He smiled, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"You're that Galbadian mercenary aren't you? The one that's doing the sniper training?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am. That would be me." He answered. The wind made by the vehicle's rate of travel blew Irvine's hair forward, tangling his ponytail and pulling strands loose to whip around his face. For the trip into town, Irvine had decided on heather gray T-shirt underneath his usual duster, along with a well worn, faded pair of jeans. He hadn't brought anything dressier, though he _had_ wanted to look a little nicer when he met Selphie's train. Ultimately, it didn't matter; she loved him no matter what he wore.

The girl, Jenna, had found a spot next to him where she had a good grip on the side of the SUV, so any other unexpected bumps wouldn't jostle her quite as much. Her coppery hair was similarly tangled and wind-whipped, and her pale skin sported freckles across her nose.

Irvine sighed, thinking, _why are there so damn many cute girls on this base? _

"My roommate Sashi is in your class." Jenna commented.

"Ah. I see. Well, Sashi's doing great, she's actually one of the best students in class." Irvine commented.

Just then, one of the young men with them asked Irvine, "Hey, did ol' Burnside settle up that bet with you?"

"Yeah, he did." Irvine answered.

"All right! First round's on Kinneas!" the young man crowed, and there was a round of high-five's among the young soldiers in the back of the SUV.

"Fine then!" Irvine responded back, " but the next ones are on you Kris!"

Kris, the young soldier, groaned.

"I'm just kidding." Irvine grinned, "Which pub are you all headed to anyway?"

"Anchorside Tavern." Mick called back from the driver's seat.

"Well, hold off on that first round, I need to get to the train station first. My girlfriend's coming in from Balamb tonight." Irvine suggested, turning toward Mick.

"You want me to drop you off at the train station then?" Mick asked.

"If you don't mind," Irvine replied.

"Will do. Meet us at Anchorside after you pick her up." Mick said.

"Thanks man, I really appreciate it." Irvine turned back to see Jenna's crestfallen expression.

"Girlfriend?" she sighed.

" 'Fraid so darlin'" Irvine confirmed with a sympathetic look.

"Damn." She said sadly. Just then, Irvine's cell phone came to life, startling him.

"Hello? You got Irvine," he answered it

Selphie's voice on the other end of the line sighed, "Finally, I didn't think I'd ever get through to you."

"Yeah, cell service really stinks in the hills here. What time's your train coming in, hon?" He asked.

"I'm afraid it isn't. I just got a last minute assignment. They're still short-handed at Trabia Garden, so Squall's sending me up there tonight to help out. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to miss our date." Selphie said, regretfully.

"Damn. I was really looking forward to seeing you, too." Irvine said, disappointed.

"I know, me too. But we'll both be back in Balamb by the end of next week, so we can catch up then." She said, trying to sound upbeat. It wasn't working, and Irvine could hear it in her voice.

"Its all right sweetheart. It's what we do. I'll catch up with you next week then. Maybe I can twist Squall's arm enough for him to let us take the Rangarok out to Centra for a few days." Irvine said, trying to cheer her up.

"Maybe. Well, I have to go. I love you Irvy." Selphie said.

"I love you too baby. I'll see you next week." Irvine responded with a sigh, then cut the connection with a soft beep.

He looked up to see Jenna watching him sadly.

"She isn't coming?" she asked.

Irvine shook his head, "No. She got sent out on another assignment tonight."

Then he turned to the driver and called out, "Mick, my girlfriend got shipped out tonight, so she's not coming. Just head to the Anchorside." Mick waved his hand in acknowledgment.

***

The Anchorside Tavern was located in a picturesque spot on Dollet's beach. It was fairly new, built after the Galbadian invasion and was part of the beachside renovation and restoration project that had begun after the conflict had ended. One side was left open to the sea air and the beach, with steps leading down the rocky cliff on which it sat onto the sand below.

The nautical-themed tavern was a lively place, with a band playing a rocking tune that sounded familiar. Irvine laughed as saw his friend Mark and his band the Winhill Rebels playing on the stage at the end of the dance floor.

Heading toward the bar, Irvine, true to his word, bought a round of beers for his companions from the garrison, and purchased two extra, one for him, and one for Mark. Holding both up, he caught the singer's eye and motioned with his head toward a table. Mark gave him thumbs up and finished his song.

After calling for a quick break, Mark hopped off the stage and came over to Irvine's table, taking the beer he was offered and tapping it against Irvine's.

Taking a sip as he sat down, Irvine laughed, "you turn up in the damndest places Mark. How the hell did you end up here?"

"Well, we all got together and decided to go on a tour. After you saw us in Deling City, we played a couple of shows in Timber and then headed up here to Dollet." Mark answered, sipping at his beer.

"Say, where's that cute little girlfriend of yours?" he asked, looking around for Selphie.

Irvine sighed, "I'm on a job here. She _was _supposed to come down on the evening train from Balamb but she couldn't make it. Turns out she got a last minute assignment. So I'm here by my lonesome for the remainder of my stay."

"Bummer." Said Mark. Then he studied Irvine with a speculative look in his eye.

"Say," he mused, "do you still play?"

Irvine shrugged, "little bit, why?"

"Want to sit in on a set?" Mark asked.

"I'm a little rusty," Irvine warned.

"Come on man, let's kick it! Just like when we were roomies. I know you still have it in you." The singer urged. Irvine hesitated a moment, the downed the rest of his beer and stood up.

"Well, what the hell, let's do it then." He said. He waved at his friends from the base and grinned at their puzzled expressions as he followed the singer back to the stage and hopped up onto it with him. The guitarist handed him his instrument and jumped off the stage to get a beer.

Leaning away from the microphone, Mark said, "I know you aren't familiar with all the songs, but its just the same basic chords. Follow Jimmy over there," he indicated the bassist. "He'll help you along. We'll start with a slow tune first."

Then Mark gave a count and they started off. The intro was a little rough for Irvine at first, but he caught the rhythm from the bassist and drummer, and picked it up fairly well as the song progressed. As he warmed up, he got better. They played three songs, with Irvine finishing the last one with a fancy flourish that he'd nearly forgotten how to do.

Mark looked back at him with a grin, and said to the cheering crowd, "Let's hear it for my buddy Irvine Kinneas folks! Irvine, take a bow!"

Irvine did as suggested, taking his hat off and holding it over his heart, then he put it back on and handed the guitar back to its owner. After a rough handshake with Mark, Irvine hopped off the stage and made his way back to his table and his companions.

"That was amazing, I didn't know you could play guitar!" Jenna gushed. Another of the women in Irvine's class, Roxy, echoed Jenna's comment.

"Pretty impressive Irvine," she said simply.

"Thank you ladies," Irvine said with a slight bow.

Then he turned to the rest of the group, saying, "I could go for some pizza, is anybody hungry?" a round of affirmatives prompted Irvine to signal a waitress and order a large pie with everything on it.

The rest of the evening was spent with Irvine laughing and talking with his students and their friends, dancing with Jenna and the other girls that were there, and in general having a great time. It helped to distract him, a little, from his disappointment at Selphie's enforced absence.

But only a little.

***

Irvine woke the next morning with a pounding head and the rueful realization that he'd obviously had far too much to drink the night before. Not like him, certainly, but he'd been caught up in the moment and had lost track of the number of beers he'd consumed. Fortunately, he'd managed to make it to a hotel to crash for the night before things had gotten out of hand.

Yawning, he stretched, and then froze as he touched…_someone_. Ok, maybe things _had_ gotten out of hand. He had to remind himself to breathe as he tried to think around his pounding head and queasy stomach. What had happened, and more to the point, _who the hell was in bed with him?_

The only thing he was sure of was that it wasn't Selphie.

A sigh and a rustle in the bedclothes indicated that his companion was waking up, and God help him, for the first time in his life, Irvine panicked. He launched himself out of bed before realizing his legs were hopelessly tangled in the bedding. He landed with a solid thump onto the floor, flat on his back, cursing.

"Ow, shit!" he whispered. He let his head fall back onto the floor and closed his eyes as he gathered his scattered wits and came to the dim realization that he at least still had his shorts on. _Could be worse, _he thought, trying to be somewhat optimistic about his predicament. _I could be buck naked, and Selphie could come waltzing through that door at just this moment…_ He immediately quashed that line of thought, not wanting to tempt the fates any further.

Then, a head peered over the side of the bed and a familiar female voice spoke up "You okay Irvine?"

Irvine's eyes flew open and he stared up in shock at the tousled red mane, freckles and crystal blue eyes belonging to the girl who'd been bounced into his lap on the way down from the base.

"J- Jenna?" He stammered. _Oh, hell, this just keeps getting better and better…_

"Yeah, that's me," she answered, still staring at him. He looked shocked and a little scared, but still cute as hell, and what wasn't covered by bedclothes looked _very_ nice indeed. She pulled the sheets up to cover her breasts, and watched as he began extricating himself from the tangle of bedding that had momentarily bound up his legs. Once freed, he reached out and grabbed his jeans.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. He looked up at her glumly, still sitting on the floor, and started to pull his pants on.

Shaking his head, he said, "No. I'm not. I'm dead."

"What do you mean, you're dead?" Jenna asked, puzzled.

"Because my girlfriend is going to kill me when she finds out about this." Irvine said, searching for his shirt. He wanted to take a shower, no he _needed_ to take a shower, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it with Jenna still in the room with him. He needed to get out of there. He needed to clear his head. _How the hell could I have been so stupid? _

"Who's going to tell her? _I _certainly won't, I don't even know her." Jenna said, reasonably.

"You don't understand," Irvine began, then stopped, looking at Jenna helplessly.

"I've never lied to her." the pained look on his face caused Jenna's heart to sink to the pit of her stomach.

Standing up, he ran his hands through his long, tangled hair and headed toward the bathroom, saying softly, "And I never will."

He emerged several minutes later, having dealt with the headache via aspirin and his hair with a comb and elastic band. And of course, having answered nature's call as well.

Picking up his hat, he twirled it absently, while avoiding Jenna's eyes, saying, "Look, I'm gonna go out for a little bit. I.. I just need to get out. The room's paid through 'till tomorrow, and you can hang out if you want and I'll get you a ride to the base when I get back."

Jenna sighed, "Irvine…"

"It's ok. I'm not blaming you or anything like that, I just need to clear my head." Settling his hat onto his head, he started for the door.

Jenna, still sitting in the bed, watched him walk toward the door and debated with herself over what she should do. He'd looked so _hurt_, when he'd met her eyes before retreating to the bathroom, that Jenna started to feel badly for him. She'd thought it was just fun and games, and that Irvine was just your typical guy. Obviously, he was a great deal more sensitive and devoted to his girlfriend than she'd realized. She decided right then, that she had to tell him the truth.

"Irvine, wait.." Jenna started, but he'd already left before she could finish her sentence.

"But we didn't _do_ anything.."

***

As Irvine left the hotel, the morning sun struck his eyes, still sensitive from his hangover, and he tugged the brim of his hat down to shade them. He thought about finding a shop somewhere to buy a pair of sunglasses to help with the glare, because even with his hat on, the sun was causing his eyes to water and his head to pound.

But first, he needed caffeine. A nearby coffee shop supplied that, and while his stomach was still a little on the queasy side, he managed the coffee okay. The various calorie-laden pastries that were also offered however tempted him not at all. He didn't think they'd sit well in his roiling and knotted guts.

He sat on the outdoor patio of the shop, and just let the breeze off the nearby ocean wash over him. He was doing his best _not_ to think about the young woman currently in his hotel room or what may or may not have occurred the night before. He was doing his best not to think at all.

Instead, he focused on the beach below, and simply watched the waves and the people who were doing the activities one does at a beach, jogging, tossing a Frisbee, walking a dog, and walking with a companion. It truly was a beautiful beach; the restoration project had been immensely successful.

In large part, its success was due to the efforts of Vinzer Deling's successor in the office of president, elected about a year or so after Deling's death. True to his word, General Caraway had stepped down after some changes were made to Galbadia's laws, and a new president was elected to a five-year term, and _only_ a five-year term. No longer would the citizens of Galbadia be held hostage for a lifetime if their chosen leader ended up being a madman.

In his first act as president, Galbadia's new leader had provided funds, labor and materials to repair the damage that his predecessor had wrought in his ill-advised attempt at conquest. It was an effort at reconciliation with the small Dukedom, and it was partially successful. Some of Dollet's residents still disliked and resented Galbadians, but not all of them did.

It was still fairly early in the morning, Irvine was surprised to note when he'd left the hotel. He thought he'd slept much later than he actually had. It was just past 8:00 am and the small city was bustling with tourists, tradesmen and shopkeepers going about their daily routines. The weather was lovely and just slightly warm, the breeze off the nearby sea, cool and fresh.

Irvine lingered over his coffee, not in any hurry to go anywhere, and tried to recall the previous night and how he'd awakened in bed with a virtual stranger. It disturbed him deeply that he didn't remember. Even when he'd been working on earning his reputation as a lothario in Galbadia, he'd never done that before. To him, actually _forgetting_ that he'd bedded a young woman was the ultimate insult to her.

It showed a lack of respect not only for his companion but also for himself. Besides, he enjoyed the whole process from start to finish far too much _not _to be present and aware of every moment, every feeling, and every touch.

But when he tried to think back to the events of the night before, all that came to mind were vague impressions of his hands caressing bare skin and his lips meeting Jenna's…and little else.

There was no question about telling Selphie. He was serious when he'd told Jenna that he'd never lied to Selphie. Irvine never lied, _period_. Not in his personal life at any rate. It was simply not in his nature. As a SeeD, it was different. If his assignment required it, he'd do what had to be done. It was his job.

But when he tried to envision her reaction upon hearing the news, his courage failed him. He'd lose her, for good this time, he feared. All of his flirtations since he'd become involved with Selphie had stopped short of any physical contact. He'd played fast and loose with his relationship with her before, but never to this extent. It had been fairly easy to reconcile with her over his roving eyes because at its core, he'd remained true to their bond. Now, he'd shattered it.

And he had no idea what to do. Selphie didn't know, and wouldn't know unless he told her, but Irvine couldn't live with this on his conscience.

Irvine checked his watch, realizing he'd lingered longer than he'd intended to over his coffee. He had a few things he needed to do before going back to his room, one of which was to purchase a change of clothing. He hadn't intended to stay overnight, so he hadn't brought any clothes or personal care items with him from the base.

So, he had to go shopping. Ironic, that. Here he was, agonizing over his relationship issues, and what was the first thing he did? Shopping. He snorted, _retail therapy. I guess I'll see what that's all about. _He started with purchasing some toiletries, then a change of clothes.

_That_ process, he quickly found, was both frustrating and infuriating. The sales associate was nice enough, he supposed, but he found her efforts to flirt with him irritating. He simply wasn't in the mood. He just wanted a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing complicated. At length he emerged with a pair of jeans that the sales girl said looked "hot" on him and a couple of shirts, some socks and undershorts.

By the time he was finished, his stomach was rumbling, and this time it was due to hunger. After grabbing a quick lunch, he reluctantly decided to rent a car since transportation options back to the remote mountain garrison were very limited. Arriving back at the hotel, Irvine idly wondered if the girl, Jenna, was still hanging out in his room or if she'd gotten bored with waiting for him and left. It didn't matter much to him either way other than the fact that as a gentleman, he felt responsible to at least see that she got back to her home and roommate safely.

When he entered his room however, it was empty, and a short note left behind said that she'd found her own way back to the base. It also said, rather ominously, "please call me as soon as you can, it's very important". The phone number was listed on the bottom of the note. Irvine folded it up and stuck it in his pocket, undecided about calling her to see what she wanted to talk about.

Sighing, Irvine took his purchases into the bathroom to finally take a shower. Being left alone for the remainder of the weekend didn't appeal much to Irvine's gregarious nature. He planned to wander around town for a little while and take in the sights, maybe go back to the Anchorside Tavern to see if Mark and his band were still there, and head back to the base himself the next morning.

One thing that he _didn't_ want at the moment was to be alone. He'd just end up brooding about his current situation, and he'd done enough of that already.

***

The hot afternoon sun beat down on Irvine as he sat in the sniper's nest. Taking his hat off, he wiped the sweat off his brow before replacing it. He'd regretfully left his cowboy hat behind and instead used a green and brown camo patterned bush hat for this venture. The vantage where he sat was located high on a hill behind a barrier made of native rock and camouflaged with brush. He was there with two of his students, scanning the area assigned to them with an eagle eye. They'd been out in the field now for three days, most of them uneventful. A few skirmishes kept them on their toes however so everyone stayed alert.

They'd deployed in teams of three and were in constant radio contact to coordinate their movements and relay information. Mostly, they were simply watching the area for any hostile action and for support of the troops that were patrolling the border itself.

A waft of cigarette smoke was carried toward Irvine in the fitful breeze, and he glared in irritation at the young soldier engaging in the offensive act.

"Put out the cigarette, Kev." He said shortly.

Kev, the young soldier in question, glared back and demanded, "why? Nobody can see us up here, and we're outside. I can have a smoke if I want to."

"Not if you want to live." Irvine said flatly. The young man took another drag, defiantly, and Irvine decided a lesson needed to be learned. He was sorely tempted to simply shoot the damn thing out of the boy's mouth, but he didn't want to waste ammo and give away their position.

Instead, he asked patiently, "see that smoke you're puffing out?" Kev and the other student, Sashi, both nodded.

"How well can you see it?" he pressed.

"Pretty well," Sashi answered. Kev nodded in agreement.

"Now, do you see where it's going?" Irvine asked them. They both nodded and Kev puffed out some more smoke. They all could see it clearly drift up and waft out on the breeze. Suddenly, they both caught on.

"The smoke is giving our position away, isn't it?" Sashi asked.

Irvine nodded, "any sniper worth his salt would sight in on that plume of smoke and have a bullet between your eyes before you even heard it. It's even more dangerous to smoke at night. The cherry on the end of that cigarette is a bulls-eye right to your head. So, the moral to the story kids, is do not smoke on duty. _Ever_. "

They both nodded in agreement and Kev reluctantly put out his cigarette.

Irvine fished one of his few remaining lollipops out of a pocket and tossed it at the young man, saying, "If you need to suck on something, try this. It might rot your teeth, but at least it won't kill you." Fishing another out for himself, he carefully put the wrapper back into his pocket and reached to take the wrapper from Kev's lollipop as well.

"So, is that why you suck on those all the time Irvine?" Sashi asked curiously.

Irvine nodded, "Yeah, I used to smoke, but I quit a long time ago. These sorta took its place."

Suddenly, something pinged against the barrier they were behind and whined off seconds before the report of a rifle shot sounded. Immediately Irvine and his two comrades ducked down to cover and Irvine put his eye to the scope on his rifle, searching for the shooter. Sashi and Kev did likewise; covering different angles to make sure as many directions as possible were searched.

"Do you see him?" Irvine asked. He kept scanning, and keyed his radio as he did, to report on the activity.

"I got nothing over here," Kev answered.

"Same here," Sashi echoed.

Irvine kept searching, focusing on the direction the bullet had come from. It had come from a thickly wooded area, with lots of shadow and uncertain light. But Irvine waited patiently and at length, another shot sounded out and a bullet again pinged off their barrier. But this time, it was closer to Irvine. In that second, he saw the shooter. _Got you, you bastard. _He thought, and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and seconds later, a figure slumped to the ground, unmoving.

"Got 'im." Irvine said in satisfaction. He kept searching the area though, making sure there wasn't anyone else out there gunning for them. He didn't see anyone, but Sashi's tense voice alerted him to the fact that the fight was just beginning.

"Irvine, there's a lot of hardware coming down that road, and it isn't ours." Irvine looked over at Sashi and, staying low, made his way over to her. Training his rifle in the direction she was focused on, Irvine looked through the scope and saw several large military vehicles trundling along the rough dirt road that the army regularly patrolled, on Dollet's side of the border.

At first, it looked like Galbadia was invading again, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that this was a well-organized group of criminals. The vehicles were of various types, some were old Galbadian battlewagons dating from the sorceress war of two decades ago, and others were newer transport trucks, possibly stolen from the Dukedom's army. They were all liberally decorated with spray-painted graffiti and some appeared both rust and bullet riddled.

Irvine radioed back the information, saying, "you guys better scramble it up here, we've got a shitload of fight headed our way." Irvine continued, detailing the vehicles and numbers of hostiles he saw. There weren't too many visible, most of them had to be in the troop carriers and Irvine could only guess at their numbers. Listening to the response on the radio, Irvine's expression turned grim.

"We'll hold 'em off as long as we can, but you need to get up here quick, because it looks like your warlord's decided to try and take over." He said, cutting the connection.

Then he radioed the other teams, warning them to get ready. If Irvine and his team couldn't hold them off, the other snipers down the line would make every kilometer these criminals traveled very, _very_ expensive for them.

Irvine and his team were on the farthest edge of the borderline that they were guarding, so they were the ones that the warlord's troops were going to meet first. Even with Squall's GF Shiva junctioned to him, Irvine was under no illusions that he could possibly take them _all _out. Still, he was glad Squall had insisted he take her, claiming that she was bored with her enforced inactivity and lonely as well. Thanks to her, Irvine had managed to stock some very important supportive spells, mainly of the healing variety.

Sliding down behind the barrier, Irvine motioned for his two companions to do the same.

"We're the first line of defense here. So we're going to shoot the hell out of them, but I want you to make sure every shot counts. We don't have enough ammunition to waste just shooting randomly at these guys. Take out the tires on the vehicles first. Immobilize them. If you can, aim for whomever looks like they're in charge." Irvine instructed, then made his way over to where they had all of their munitions stored, grabbed a couple of the boxes, and snagged a machine gun as a backup. Sashi and Kev did the same.

The next few moments were spent in silence as Kev and Sashi loaded his or her weapons. Irvine however, unloaded his Exeter and replaced the shells with the last five rounds of Pulse Ammo that he had on him. The powerful rounds packed just enough punch that, Irvine hoped, would stop the battlewagons that were coming at them. With the battlewagons knocked out of the equation, they had a better chance.

Once everyone appeared to be ready, Irvine took his spot between them and said, "brace yourselves guys, its gonna get really ugly really fast." Sashi and Kev traded apprehensive looks and nodded.

Irvine peered through his scope and waited until the first of the battlewagons appeared in the crosshairs. He could sense his companions doing likewise with their targets.

Quietly, he said, "open fire on my mark."

Locating what he hoped was a point of vulnerability in the heavily armored vehicle, Irvine said, "Now." As one, they all fired their weapons.

"Hold position," Irvine ordered as they watched the result of their first salvo. The first two transport trucks stopped immediately, each with a flat front tire. The battlewagon that Irvine had targeted stopped also, a small explosion in the engine block rendering it useless. The passengers of the battlewagon and troop carriers boiled out of their disabled vehicles, some training their weapons up toward the hills where Irvine and his team were hidden, while others headed toward the vehicles, intending to repair them.

"Next round guys, on my mark." Irvine said. The enemy down below them would not get a chance to change the damaged tires on the two lead vehicles, Irvine and his team would make sure of that.

Irvine targeted the second battlewagon, took a deep breath, and said, "fire." Again, shots rang out. The men attempting to change the tires on the disabled troop carriers collapsed. The second battlewagon exploded into fire and smoke, and its passengers leaped out, screaming. This time however, some of the troopers down below near the lead trucks returned fire, and Irvine and his comrades ducked down lower behind their cover to avoid the ricochets.

"Ok, now it's going to get really hot. Just aim and fire as fast as you can for as long as you can." Irvine said. He had three more pulse rounds, and he'd already decided where they were going to go. The remaining undamaged trucks were his next targets.

When the bullets coming from the enemy below slowed in frequency, Irvine and his companions opened fire.

The three remaining trucks and troop carriers exploded spectacularly, sending shrapnel and bodies flying, and the disabled lead vehicles slumped further down as the remaining tires were shot out. The resulting chaos threw the warlord's troops into disarray. Irvine quickly reloaded his rifle with armor piercing rounds and began mechanically shooting anything that moved and held a weapon. Kev and Sashi were already doing the same thing, and accounting for a lot of casualties down below.

The return fire was fierce though, and they were sorely outnumbered. The troops below knew their location and it was just a matter of time before their position was overrun. He could already see a squad of men advancing, climbing up the rocky slope toward them. Irvine knew one possible solution to their dilemma was to summon Shiva. But her range was limited. He needed to get closer to the action in order for the summons to be at all effective.

Making a decision, he ordered Sashi and Kev, "keep shooting. Use the machine guns and just spray covering fire down on them. _Keep their heads down_. I need to do something and I need to get closer to them to do it."

Making sure his rifle was completely loaded; he slung it over his back and grabbed the machine gun as well, slapping a full clip into it. Kev and Sashi looked back at him with worry in their eyes. He could understand their concern, but they didn't have time for it right now.

"Sashi, to your left!" he ordered, "they're trying to flank us! I'm going to go down there and try something that should put a stop to that. Don't worry; I don't plan on doing anything suicidal. You guys just keep the cover fire going until I tell you to stop." Sashi nodded and adjusted her position as ordered and soon, quick staccato bursts of machine gun fire erupted from the weapons that she and Kev had grabbed.

Nodding in satisfaction, Irvine worked his way back from the barrier and down the hidden pathway that led up to their vantage point. Then it was dashing from boulder to bush, taking advantage of whatever cover he could to work his way closer to the advancing men. The covering fire helped. He judged he was close enough when the return fire got uncomfortably close to hitting him.

Then he whipped up the machine gun, set to full auto, and sprayed a burst at the men, mowing down a good half-dozen in the process. While they were still reeling from the unexpected attack, Irvine summoned Shiva. "_Come on sweetheart," _he coaxed, "_time to work…" _She wordlessly agreed and appeared swiftly, blasting everything within range with her diamond dust attack, flash-freezing the remaining men, then shattering them into powder.

He worked his way down farther toward the convoy, keeping hidden as much as possible and summoned Shiva a couple more times, taking down more of their foes. He pushed it as far as he could, summoning her to wipe out the defenders when things got really thick and using the rocks and trees as cover. He picked off stragglers wherever he saw them but he eventually ran out of ammunition, and while there weren't as many enemies as before, there were still far too many for comfort. He retreated back toward the sniper's roost where Kev and Sashi were still shooting away, keeping low and ducking the bullets that sang after him.

As he did, he hollered into his radio, "where the hell's our backup? We can't hold out here much longer, we're running out of ammunition!"

"_It's coming, we're just a few clicks away, just hold on until we get there!" _Came the radioed reply. Irvine didn't bother to respond, he was too busy trying to make his way back up to the nest as fast as possible without getting shot. Unfortunately, he was only partially successful.

He was just scrambling up into the nest when molten fire ripped through his right shoulder from behind, the force of the impact throwing him to the ground behind Kev and Sashi. He couldn't suppress a cry of pain as he landed, panting hard from the exertion of his run. He clapped his hand to the bleeding wound in his right upper chest and lay on the ground, groaning.

Sashi glanced back upon hearing him and exclaimed, "Irvine! You're hurt!" She started to lay her rifle down but Irvine stopped her.

"Don't!" He panted, "Stay where you are Sashi, keep shooting. We've got backup coming but we have to stay alive until they get here." He rolled over onto his back, grimacing in pain as he tried to stanch the blood flowing from the bullet's exit wound and trying not to pass out. If he did, he'd bleed to death. As it was, he needed to cure himself soon or it would be too late. Gathering his ebbing energy, he whispered the curative spell, and sighed in relief as his pain subsided. It didn't go away however, and Irvine didn't think just one spell would cure him completely, it wasn't that strong of a spell and he wasn't that strong of a magic user. He'd still need medical attention, but at least he wasn't in immediate danger of dying.

He lay still for a moment, his head spinning. Then he slowly sat up and crawled over to Sashi and Kev, dragging his rifle off his shoulder and swearing viciously at the pain his injury caused him as he loaded the last of his rounds into his Exeter.

"You shouldn't be up here Irvine, you've been shot!" Kev exclaimed.

"Well, there's only the three of us here," Irvine grunted in reply, "I figure you'll need my help if we're gonna make it."

"Are you sure you can even shoot?" Sashi said, worried.

"Yeah, I can shoot." Irvine said, and rested the barrel of his rifle on the wall of rock he was crouched behind. Blinking sweat from his eyes, he did his best to make every shot count, but his right arm was affected by the injury, and too many of his shots were misses. Cursing again, he switched the butt of his rifle to his left shoulder and used his injured right arm to steady it. He did much better with that, the recoil wasn't bumping directly into his half-healed wound like it did on the other side.

The shots coming at them from below were less frequent than they had been before, and Irvine checked his scope, noting that there seemed to be fewer fighters shooting at them.

A crackle as the radio came to life alerted Irvine that their backup was coming while at the same time Kev exclaimed, "I can see them! They're coming!"

Just then a rock tumbled from the crest of the hill behind them and Irvine whirled just in time to see one of the warlord's men aiming a rifle at them, getting ready to shoot. He tried to bring his Exeter up in time, but his injury slowed him and the man got off three shots before Irvine's shouted warning brought Kev and Sashi both whipping around, rifles ready.

One of the shots hit Irvine in the chest, the other two hit Sashi in the chest and shoulder. The man never got another shot off as Kev returned fire and killed him.

"Oh, God! Sashi! Irvine?" Kev scrambled over to them, undecided for a moment on who to help first.

"S- Sashi first," Irvine managed, finding it hard to breathe. The damn bullet had gone into his lung, he was sure. Kev nodded and got out the med kit and worked on Sashi, who lay groaning weakly. As he did, Irvine took stock and figured he had just enough energy to _maybe _cast two healing spells, but it would be close.

Sashi was critical, so he cast hers first. It would at least stabilize her. With the last of his fading strength, Irvine cast his last cure spell, hoping it would be enough to snatch him back from the darkness that was already starting to cloud his vision.


	6. Chapter 6: Roulette

Chapter 6: Roulette

"You don't have to do this Rinoa," Squall said as he walked down the hallway toward Selphie's temporary room. Squall had already spoken with Trabia Garden's new headmaster, who, while regretting the loss of Selphie's help two days early, completely understood the circumstances causing it.

"I know Squall, but Selphie's my friend too. I want to be there for her." Rinoa said, threading her fingers through Squall's and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back, knowing without her having to say it that she wanted to be there for him as well.

To assume that Squall felt nothing while his friend fought for his life would be assuming too much. The stoic front he presented on trips like this, trips that he hated but had to do, was just that. A front. The worst of these notifications were the ones where the SeeD in question was never coming back. As Commander, Squall felt it was his duty to deliver such news in person, but it was hard. Far harder on him than he realized it would be when he took it on.

It was early evening Balamb time when he'd gotten the call from Colonel Jarfa regarding the skirmish at their northern border and Irvine's resulting injury. He'd immediately called Trabia Garden, then told Rinoa, and they'd both boarded the Ragnarok to fly over and pick up Selphie. While en route, Squall had contacted the Colonel and gotten an update on Irvine's condition.

Upon reaching Selphie's door, Squall hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and knocked. The door opened and Selphie smiled brightly at seeing them.

"Hey! Squall! Rinoa! How's it going? What are you guys doing here? I'm not due back for another two days." She said, curious.

Seeing their somber expressions however gave Selphie a thrill of unease, and she looked at the two of them, asking, "what's going on?"

"Selphie," Squall began, then took a deep breath and glanced over at Rinoa before continuing, "I got you released early. You need to come with us, to Dollet. Irvine was shot this afternoon in a border skirmish."

Selphie's eyes began to fill with tears. _Irvine? Oh, God…_

"Selphie," Rinoa said, drawing her into her arms, "the last update we heard was that he was in surgery. They think he'll make it, but Squall and I, we wanted… needed to be there. And I know the first thing that Irvine's going to want to see when he wakes up is you."

"Selphie?" Squall's quiet voice brought her attention back to him. His face was calm, but his eyes were concerned. "Let's go. I've brought the Ragnarok, we'll be in Dollet in just a few minutes." She nodded and grabbed her keys and her purse, and followed, Rinoa's arm still around her, offering much needed support.

Moments later, they were on the airship, racing toward Dollet.

***

Squall piloted the Ragnarok, giving Selphie and Rinoa time to support each other. The airship was pretty easy to operate, which left Squall entirely too much time to think. He knew Irvine was as tough as they came, and he'd had Shiva with him, so her strength had to have played a factor in his survival. But it worried him nonetheless that he hadn't been able to fully heal himself, instead requiring surgery to remove a bullet from his lung.

Fortunately, the trip was indeed a short one. Squall had already received permission from the Colonel to land the Ragnarok just outside the garrison. Irvine had been taken to the hospital on the base, as it was the closest medical facility available. They were also, sadly, very good at dealing with gunshot injuries such as Irvine's, so Squall was confident that he was in good hands.

The sun was dying in a blaze of color to the west, the final red rays bleeding into violet and purple as Squall, Rinoa and Selphie walked toward the base. Once they'd been admitted to the base proper, they were escorted to the hospital.

Upon entering, they were all surprised to see a large number of young men and women gathered in the waiting area, talking quietly and occasionally looking toward what had to be the doors leading to the surgery.

One of the young men sitting in the waiting area glanced up and saw them, then stood and approached.

"Hello, I'm Kev. Are you guys friends of Irvine's?" He asked.

Squall nodded, "I'm Squall. This is Rinoa, and Selphie."

The young solider stared for a moment, then said, "Squall…Leonhart?"

"Yes." Squall acknowledged.

"Wow! Commander Leonhart! It's so cool to meet you! So, you're a friend of Irvine's?" The young man exclaimed, surprise on his face. Squall nodded.

Looking around at all the soldiers gathered in the waiting room, Selphie asked, "Who are all these people here?"

"Oh," Kev answered, "we're all Irvine's trainees. We're just waiting for any news on how he and Sashi are doing."

"Who's Sashi?" Rinoa asked.

"She was on Irvine's team with me. She got shot at about the same time that he did." Kev answered.

"So," Selphie said hesitantly, "is he still in surgery?"

"Yeah. Haven't heard anything else, good or bad." Kev sighed.

"It's been hours, should it be taking this long?" Selphie asked, worried.

Kev shrugged, "I dunno. It looked pretty bad when we brought him and Sashi in, but last I heard, they've both got a good chance."

"You were part of Irvine's team?" Squall asked. Kev nodded.

"I'd like to talk with you later." Squall said.

"Okay." Kev said, then indicated some vacant chairs nearby. "We might be awhile yet. So, make yourselves comfortable."

Squall nodded, and they all went over and sat down. Scrubbing his hands wearily over his face, he looked over at Rinoa, who smiled sadly. Reaching out, he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, breathing her fragrance and taking comfort in it, and in her. Then he kissed her gently and simply held her. A sniffle to his right caught his attention and he saw Selphie wiping tears from her eyes. He sighed.

"Selphie." She looked over at him, eyes glistening.

"I've got a shoulder." He invited. She hesitated, frowning. Squall simply waited. Then she leaned in and rested her head on his right shoulder, sobbing quietly. Squall wrapped his arm around her, and Rinoa reached over and grabbed hold of Selphie's hand.

Squall suddenly found himself in the odd position of being in the middle of a three-way hug. It gave him the sudden urge to laugh at the incongruity of it. As it was, he couldn't hold back a small chuckle.

Both Selphie and Rinoa gave him puzzled looks, and he commented, "This has to be a first. _Me_, hugging two women? The look on Irvine's face if he saw this would be priceless."

They both laughed quietly at the visual that gave them, and Selphie sat up, wiping tears from her eyes again, saying, "Thank you, Squall, Rinoa. I really appreciate you guys being here for me…and for him."

"We're family." Rinoa said softly. Squall nodded in agreement. He'd probably never tell Irvine, but like Zell, he'd found another brother in the Galbadian cowboy. Bonds of affection came hard to Squall, but once forged, they were absolute.

Just then, the double doors leading to the surgery swung open and the doctor emerged. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, and all of the young soldiers who'd trained with Irvine and had become friends with him, looked up expectantly.

"Corporal Rivers came through surgery just fine and her prognosis is pretty good. She's resting right now in the ICU. No visitors but immediate family at the moment however." There was a collective sigh of relief from the corporal's comrades. Then the doctor turned his attention to Squall, Rinoa and Selphie. Of all of the people in the waiting room, only those three were wearing civilian clothing.

"Are you Mr. Kinneas' family?" he asked.

"Yes," Squall answered. Selphie swallowed and traded a worried look with Rinoa, who squeezed her hand.

"He came through surgery successfully as well. He's also resting in the ICU." He stated.

"Can I see him? Please?" Selphie asked.

The doctor nodded, then cautioned, "only for a little bit. And just you, miss, for now."

As Selphie got up and followed the doctor to the ICU, Squall's cell phone went off. He'd set it on vibrate so as not to disturb anyone in the waiting area. Giving Rinoa a quick squeeze, he got up and went outside to answer it. It was Quistis.

After giving the latest information he had on Irvine's condition, he called Zell and filled him in as well, then returned to Rinoa.

"That was Quistis," he explained. "She and Zell are taking the evening train up, they should be here in a couple of hours."

***

Selphie walked slowly toward the bed where Irvine lay, pale and still. Monitors displaying his vital signs, beeped softly. She swallowed and wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that Squall and Rinoa had been able to come in as well. The doctor had told her that the damage wasn't nearly as bad as they had feared going into the surgery based on where the bullet had struck Irvine. He was cautiously optimistic that his patient would eventually make a full recovery. Selphie knew that it was likely because Irvine had found the strength to cast at least one low-level healing spell.

Reaching his bedside, Selphie hesitated. He had so many tubes and wires and things going into and out of his body she was afraid to touch him for fear of dislodging something important. Finally, she reached out and brushed away a strand of his hair that had fallen across his brow. She smiled sadly. His hair was a tangled mess, which she knew he hated. That brief contact reassured her however. His skin was warm, and she could see his chest, swathed in bandages, moving as he breathed.

As she stood there, the ICU nurse came in and checked the chart on Irvine's bed, making a notation and changing out a nearly empty bag of fluid that was hanging next to him.

Turning her attention to Selphie, the nurse said, "He's going to be out for awhile yet, he's pretty heavily sedated. Why don't you come back in the morning? He'll look better then, I'm sure."

"I can't stay?" Selphie asked, "I'd really like to be here when he wakes up."

"If his lung function continues to improve, we can take the tube out in a few days and move him out of ICU. Until we can do that, he's going to remain sedated. Come back in the morning and we'll have an update for you." The nurse replied compassionately. Swallowing, Selphie nodded and left.

Squall and Rinoa both looked expectantly at Selphie as she re-entered the waiting area.

"He's still out. They said he'd be sedated until they're satisfied that his lungs will work well enough for them to remove his breathing tube. The nurse suggested we come back in the morning for an update." Selphie said.

Rinoa looked from Squall to Selphie, and suggested, "You know, I could… um.."

"Not quite yet, Rinoa," Squall said. "We'll come back tomorrow, and talk to his doctor first. Okay?" Rinoa nodded, and Selphie was confused for a moment before she remembered that Rinoa was a sorceress. A powerful one.

"We should probably get some dinner. We need to pick up Zell and Quistis at the train station anyway." Squall suggested. Selphie nodded and followed Rinoa and Squall out of the hospital.

***

Nightmares chased Irvine through the darkness. The memories of what he'd endured during time compression, when he'd been lost in a sea of nothingness before he remembered how to get home terrified him. He thought he was there again, fighting to find his way home, but this time something seemed to bar his way and he floated in the emptiness, beginning to despair.

Snatches of memory came to him. He'd been shot. Time compression was no longer in effect because Ultimecia was dead. He was somewhere in Dollet…Shiva was in his head, trying to comfort him, soothing him with her icy embrace. _Shiva? But she's Squall's GF… _the image of the ice goddess changed, shifted, and Irvine was embracing Selphie instead. He calmed at the memory of holding her, loving her, her green eyes lit with amusement at something he'd said. He focused on her features, willing himself back to her, but they shifted again. The eyes changed to crystalline blue, the hair, coppery red. _Jenna? NO, this isn't right. Where's Selphie? I need to find my way back to HER…_

He tried. He fought hard. But the medication that he'd been given kept him dreaming. The nurse monitoring his vitals however, noticed him trying to fight the drugs and called the doctor.

"He's fighting the sedatives. Fighting hard." She said.

"His lung function looks good. Lets try taking the tube out before he wakes up." The doctor said.

Irvine felt something obstructive being removed from his throat, then the cotton clouds smothered him again and he drifted back into his dreams. Benign ones this time, Shiva did her best to block his mind from wandering too far into his nightmares, lest his rest be disturbed and his healing slowed.

"Breathing looks ok so far. Keep an eye on him." The doctor said, watching as the young man took one breath, then another on his own. It was truly amazing what these SeeDs could endure, he thought.

"Okay doctor." The nurse said. She paid close attention to his breathing patterns while checking the rest of his vitals. Aside from a short coughing fit, there were no problems and her patient settled back down into a peaceful sleep.

***

"_Irvine. That which has kept you in the shadowlands has gone from your body. You may wake now if you wish. They are waiting for you." _

_Shiva?_

"_Yes."_

_I thought you only spoke to Squall._

"_My master bade me to help you. And help you I shall. I did my best to shield your mind from those things that disturbed your rest. But now it is time for you to wake."_

Irvine took a deep breath. His chest hurt, but he breathed more easily than he did before. He shifted and tried to move but felt as though he were tied down. His throat hurt, his mouth was dry, and he felt as weak as a day-old kitten. He tried opening his eyes.

At first, all he saw was a blur. Then he blinked and things came into focus. He tried moving his head and saw Selphie sitting in a chair next to his bed.

"S.. Selph.." he tried saying her name, but it came out a hoarse whisper. His mouth and throat were too dry.

He swallowed and tried again, "Selph.."

"Hey babe." She smiled, and Irvine smiled back, happy to see her.

"Bout time you woke up, slacker," Irvine turned toward the voice, knowing who it belonged to.

"Zell.." then he coughed and grimaced. He was really, really thirsty. He looked around the room and was surprised to see that all of his friends were there. Zell and Quistis stood on one side of his bed; Selphie sat next to him on the opposite side, holding his hand. He tried to squeeze it and was chagrined at how weak the attempt was. Behind Selphie, leaning against the wall with Rinoa, was Squall, looking tired but relieved.

"When are you going to learn how to duck?" asked Squall with a slight quirk to his lips.

"When you learn how to sing," Irvine whispered hoarsely back. Zell snorted, and the girls giggled quietly. Even Squall managed a small smile. Then Selphie produced a cup full of ice chips.

"The doctor said you might be really thirsty when you woke up, so this should help." She said, carefully taking a chip and putting it to his lips. For some reason, Irvine found that small act incredibly erotic. He filed that info away for future reference, directing his thoughts elsewhere so they wouldn't become too evident. He closed his eyes and let the ice melt on his tongue, feeling it soothe his parched throat, sighing in relief.

"Thanks hon, that's much better," he said. He was getting tired and the urge to close his eyes and go back to sleep was getting harder and harder to fight.

"You ready to get out of here?" Squall asked.

"Get out? I just woke up." Irvine said, confused.

"Irvine, did you forget? Rinoa's a sorceress, remember?" Squall reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Irvine said, then closed his eyes and smirked, "Hit me with your best shot, Rin baby."

"Don't tempt me." She retorted. Irvine chuckled weakly.

Rinoa approached Irvine's bed and stroked her fingers across his brow. From that gentle, soothing touch, Irvine felt a warm tingle spread throughout his body. Just like that, the pain was gone.

Opening his eyes, he smiled at Rinoa, "Thanks. I feel much better." He shifted and frowned at the IV tubes that were connected to him.

"Now, if I could just get unplugged from all of this.."

"I'll get the nurse." Quistis said.

The nurse arrived a few moments later, with the doctor in tow. Both were astounded to see Irvine not only awake but clear eyed and restless, more than ready to leave. The nurse shooed Irvine's visitors out of his room to give him some privacy while the doctor checked him over.

"Ok. I know this didn't happen naturally. Care to explain how you healed from a nearly fatal wound overnight?" The doctor asked as the nurse began the uncomfortable process of removing Irvine's IV and, to his mortification, catheter.

"Ah… Ow! Jeez! Um, well, the short story is, I've got powerful friends." Irvine said. He wasn't entirely sure exactly how much he should tell the doctor about how he was healed. He knew that all of Esthar knew Rinoa was a sorceress, but after Laguna had made it known that what she had done there had been while under the control of another, more powerful sorceress, she had been pardoned and left in peace. Visits there were still a little uncomfortable for Rinoa, however.

What Irvine did _not _know was how much information about Rinoa had filtered into Galbadia and Dollet. For all he knew, the entire world knew of Rinoa's sorceress powers. But he didn't think so. Squall had been _very careful_ about controlling that information in particular, not wanting to invite any threats to Rinoa's, and _his_, life and well-being. The last thing Squall wanted was a hue and cry to start up about Rinoa's status as a sorceress. As it was, some information _had _leaked out of Esthar, leading to a kidnapping attempt by a terrorist bent on using Rinoa's power to his own ends.

The doctor frowned and asked Irvine, "Care to elaborate on that? I don't quite follow how a high-ranking friend can heal you overnight."

Irvine decided to proceed cautiously, "well, you know how the Galbadians used para-magic while fighting, right?" The doctor nodded. He remembered. That was the reason SeeD had been hired to assist with repelling the Galbadian invaders in the first place.

"Well, SeeD does kind of the same thing, only we use it a little.. Differently. It's stronger than just para-magic." Irvine answered.

"Well, that explains how you even survived being shot. But why didn't you heal yourself completely if you had the ability?" the doctor asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not the strongest magic user around. And I only had a limited number of low level healing spells left. I used one of them on Sashi, and I used my last one on myself. I was so weak by that point I wasn't even sure it would work." Irvine confessed.

"So your friend, Commander Leonhart, who also uses this magic, healed you the rest of the way today, is that correct?" the doctor surmised. It wasn't entirely the truth, but the fact was, if Squall had been junctioned to one of his GFs, he likely _would _have healed Irvine himself. He'd done it before. Irvine decided to let the doctor believe that slight stretch of the truth and leave Rinoa's abilities out of it.

"Yes." Replied Irvine. _Sort of._

"Well, it obviously worked. Your lungs are clear and you're in good shape. I'll sign you out and you can leave when you're ready to go." The doctor said and turned to leave.

"Doc, wait," Irvine stopped him. "If I could get my friend to do this for Corporal Rivers, would you have a problem with that? Do you think it would be okay?"

"Anything would help. She'll pull through regardless, but complications are always a possibility, particularly with injuries like hers." The doctor answered.

After the doctor and nurse had left, Irvine looked around the hospital room for several minutes before realizing that he had nothing to wear. Apparently, in the rush to get him into surgery to save his life, they'd simply cut his clothing off of him. Irvine sat on the edge of his hospital bed, wondering what to do about his lack of clothing since walking out of the base hospital and across the compound to his barracks room stark naked was really not an appealing thought. Fashioning a toga out of his bed sheet was something he might try if he couldn't find another solution, but it also wasn't something he wanted to do. There was a time and a place for that, and this wasn't it.

The click of the door handle and a squeak as the door swung open startled him and he made sure he was covered up decently before whoever it was walked in on him and got an eyeful.

He was expecting to see Squall, Rinoa and the rest of his friends. Instead, it seemed as though his entire class trooped into his room.

"Well, this is a little unexpected," Irvine said. Kev, Mick, Steve and the rest simply stared in shock.

"I don't get it," Kev said, confused, "Yesterday you were about half-dead. Now, it's like it never happened. What gives?"

Irvine sighed and scratched at his tangled hair. He really, really wanted a shower, clean clothes, and most of all, _out_ of this hospital room.

"Uh, it's a SeeD thing." Irvine explained, "kind of like the way Galbadians use battle magic, only stronger."

"Oh," said Kev, exchanging a look with Mick.

"We just wanted to see how you were doing." Mick said, acting as spokesman for the group.

"The last couple of weeks were really intense but totally awesome," Steve said, "I really learned a lot."

"Thanks. I really enjoyed teaching you guys. You're all a great bunch and I don't think there's even one of you that _isn't _a top-notch sniper now." Irvine said, grinning at them.

"Yeah. Well its just too bad that you're so _badass_ you just about took out that entire convoy and didn't leave anything for the rest of us to do." Steve said.

Irvine shrugged, "Well, I really wasn't interested in dying yet. I have too many things I still need to do. Trust me Steve; there'll be other chances to test your skills."

Then he frowned, "How's Sashi? I haven't really heard much other than she's going to pull through and that's it. Have any of you been to see her yet?"

Mick and Kev nodded, and Kev answered, "We have. Her roommate Jenna was in this morning too. She's not awake yet, though. She looks pretty rough."

Irvine sighed, "I'll get over to see her as soon as I manage to find some clothes."

"What happened to the ones you were wearing when you came in?" Roxie asked, not bothering to hide her enjoyment of seeing far more of Irvine than she had before. He really was quite nice looking, despite his slightly scruffy, unshaven appearance. He currently sat on the edge of his hospital bed with the sheet draped demurely across his lap, but from the waist up he was bare. His chest and arms were nicely defined, with just enough hair sprinkling down from the center of his chest along his midline to points south that he looked truly…. yummy. She didn't blame Jenna for going for him.

"Funny thing about emergency surgery. They don't like to waste time removing clothing, so they just cut it off. I have _nothing_ to wear right now but this sheet." Irvine answered, twitching the edge of it, then he asked, "anyone willing to volunteer to go over to my room and grab me some clothes?"

"I'll go," said Mick. Irvine dumped out the manila envelope he'd found that contained his personal property and located his keys. Then he tossed them to Mick.

"Any preference?" Mick asked.

"Just grab the duffel by the bed. It should have just about everything I need in it." Irvine answered. Mick nodded and left.

"Well, we'd better get going." Kev said, adding, "It was… interesting to meet Commander Leonhart by the way. Poor Sashi's gonna be really upset knowing she missed out on that."

"Interesting how?" Irvine asked, puzzled.

Kev laughed slightly, "he pulled me aside not too long ago and basically interrogated me about the events that happened yesterday. I thought the Colonel had already given him a report, but apparently, Commander Leonhart wanted to hear it directly from me."

Irvine snorted, "Yeah, that's Squall all right." Then he added, "Sashi won't miss out, I'll make sure of that. Take it easy guys, and thanks for coming by." Irvine said as the group gradually drifted out, some coming up to shake hands and pat his back before leaving. As the last of them drifted out, Mick returned with his duffel bag, followed shortly by Squall, Rinoa and Selphie. Quistis and Zell trailed in moments later.

"I wondered where you guys had gotten to," Irvine commented as Mick set the bag down by Irvine's bed.

"Thanks, Mick. Have you met my friends? Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Quistis, Zell, this is Sergeant Mick Towsen. Mick, these are my friends…well, more like my family, really."

"Nice meeting you," Mick reached out and shook Squall's hand. And, wonder of wonders, Squall _let_ him. Quistis covered her mouth with her hand and exchanged a wide-eyed look with Rinoa, who simply smiled.

Squall simply raised an eyebrow at Irvine's shocked expression and remained silent.

Zell, Rinoa, then Quistis shook his hand as well, and when he reached Selphie, he commented, "So you're Selphie. Its nice to finally meet you."

"Thanks, same here," she said with a smile.

"Well, I'm gonna take off. Talk to you later." Mick said.

"Thanks again for bringing my clothes over for me." Irvine said.

"No problem." Mick said with a shrug, then he left.

Irvine smiled over at Selphie. He couldn't begin to describe how wonderful it felt to see her again. His joy however was tempered by the nagging fear that he'd lose it all if he weren't very, very careful. He felt like he was playing a game of roulette, and each moment that clicked by brought him closer to the loaded chamber. One thing was crystal clear however. He loved Selphie, heart and soul. When he focused on that, nothing else mattered.

Reaching his arm out to her, Irvine said, "Come here baby, there's something I've been wanting to do all week."

Squall coughed, and said to Rinoa, "maybe we should leave…"

Quistis and Zell both rolled their eyes and started for the door.

"C'mon man, I do have _some_ restraint." Irvine said, exasperated. Squall snorted.

A muffled, "yeah, right," from Zell came as the door closed behind he and Quistis.

Selphie took Irvine's hand and he pulled her into his arms, holding her close, whispering, "I've missed you so much." _I thought I was dead. I thought I'd never see you again. And I might lose you yet if the hammer falls on a loaded chamber… emotional roulette is a dangerous game.._

Selphie hugged him back as hard as she could, pressing against him. Her eyes stung with tears again but she didn't want them to fall, not right now. Instead, she pressed her cheek against Irvine's chest and listened to his heartbeat as he stroked her hair.

His chest heaved in a sigh, and he said, "I guess I'd better get ready to go. So, if you don't mind, could you guys wait outside while I get dressed?"

Squall and Rinoa nodded, and Selphie reluctantly let go of him and was about to follow them out when Irvine said, "you don't have to leave if you don't want to. Its not like you've never seen me getting dressed before." He reached down and grabbed his duffel bag, setting it on the bed next to him. Digging through it for some clothes, he stopped when he felt Selphie's hands touch his shoulders, stroking down each arm as she pressed herself against his back and kissed the back of his neck, nuzzling under his hair.

He shivered, and swallowed, "Selph.. this isn't the time or the place…" She ignored him and kissed him beneath his right earlobe, moving her hands to his sides and trailing them slowly up before circling around to stroke his chest from behind. God, she was killing him.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and let her hands roam where they would, unable and unwilling to stop her. _I hope the door here has a lock…_he thought as her lips trailed along his neck. He turned his head slightly toward her and her lips found his. He reached back and pulled her into his lap, deepening the kiss, losing all sense of time or place.

The click of the door handle being turned was like a bucket of cold water, shocking him back to reality. He broke off the kiss, panting and leaning his forehead against Selphie's as he tried to rein back his surging hormones. Then he looked up to see one very annoyed looking nurse and four very amused looking friends staring at him and Selphie.

"What was that about _restraint_?" Squall asked with a raised eyebrow, as Rinoa giggled at Irvine's discomfiture. Quistis and Zell were both turning red in an effort not to laugh hysterically.

"Shut up, Squall." Irvine growled, then looked down at Selphie's flushed face and well-kissed lips.

"I guess I don't have any," he said softly, stroking her hair back from her face. _Not with Selphie, in any case…_

***

After enduring a tongue lashing by the exasperated nurse, Squall's silent amusement, Zell's ribbing and Rinoa's gentle teasing, Irvine finally got the room cleared out _again_, this time with Selphie regretfully included. Then he _finally_ got dressed. He still hadn't gotten a shower and he knew his hair looked terrible, but it would have to do until he got to his room so he could rectify that. He managed at least to comb it out, gritting his teeth at the tangles as he worked through them. He couldn't find a band to pull his hair back however, so he had to leave it loose. And unfortunately, Mick hadn't brought his hat. Searching through the pocket of his jeans while looking for an elastic band for his hair, he came across the note that Jenna had left him.

He read it again, puzzling over why it was so important that he call her, and why she hadn't tried to contact _him_ in the days that followed if it really _was_ that important. He still couldn't remember any details about that night, and he figured if nothing else, as uncomfortable as it might be, he really should at least talk to her and see if she could fill in the blanks. He sighed and located his boots, then after he'd finished he zipped his duffle closed, slung it over his shoulder and left the hospital room.

He was more than ready to leave the hospital, but he had one last thing that he needed to do first.

Walking up to Squall and Rinoa, he asked, "Could you guys do me a huge favor?"

Rinoa nodded and Squall folded his arms, asking warily, "what's the favor?" Rinoa smacked his arm and he frowned down at her briefly.

"I'd like you both to meet someone, and Rinoa, if you could help her out like you did me, I'd really appreciate it." Irvine said, putting his arm around Selphie, who stiffened.

He squeezed her and gave her a reassuring kiss before explaining, "she's one of my students sweetie, and she was injured the same time I was. I just want to help her out, that's all. I just don't feel right walking out of here fine and healthy while she's still hurt."

Rinoa nodded, "of course I'll help her."

Squall agreed, "Ok, we'll go meet her then."

Looking over at Quistis and Zell, Squall said, "why don't you guys meet us at the Ragnarok, this shouldn't take long." They both nodded and left.

"Great, thanks guys. Oh, and by the way," Irvine lowered his voice a bit, "if anyone asks, Squall was the one that cast the healing spell, ok?"

Squall gave Irvine a questioning look, and Irvine explained, "I didn't know how much info had filtered up here about Rinoa's _talents_, so I decided to err on the side of caution. The doctor asked about how I healed so fast so I blamed it on you, Squall. I figured that was safest."

"Good thinking." Squall said as they walked down the hall toward Sashi's room. A quick check with a floor nurse confirmed they were going to the right room.

"Hey, you know I've got your back bro," Irvine said.

Squall nodded, "I know."

When they reached the door, Irvine hesitated, and said "Um, when you meet her, could you be… _nice_?"

Squall folded his arms and glared at Irvine, saying, "Don't push it." Rinoa laughed softly and Selphie rolled her eyes.

"He'll be nice, won't you Squall?" Rinoa said with a smile.

Squall sighed and muttered, "I'll _try_."

"Thanks man," Irvine said. It really was pushing the limits of Squall's nature to ask him to be _nice_ to someone. _Polite_ was one thing; _nice_ was something else. Squall didn't do _nice_. Not normally in any case. But if he said he'd give it a try, Irvine would take that and be happy with it.

Opening the door, Irvine poked his head in first, saw that the room was empty and held the door to let Selphie, Squall and Rinoa in. He approached Sashi's bed, unsure of his feelings at seeing her lying so still in the bed. He felt badly for her, certainly. She was a nice girl and a good student, and he felt responsible for her injury somehow, even though it was just sheer bad luck that they'd both been shot.

The machines she was hooked up to beeped in a steady, reassuring rhythm, and Irvine looked over at Rinoa. Nodding, she approached the bed and as she had done with him, she stroked the girl's brow then took Sashi's limp hand in hers and closed her eyes. A faint blue light started from Sashi's forehead where Rinoa had touched her and spread throughout her body, then faded. Rinoa released her hand and they waited.

Sashi took a deep breath, moaned slightly and shifted in the bed. Then her eyes fluttered open.

Irvine grinned down at her, saying, "Hey there kiddo. Feeling better?"

She blinked and frowned, saying, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I feel fine. How long was I out, anyway?"

"Not long. We got shot yesterday." Irvine answered her. Sashi stared at him.

"So, how are you standing there like nothing happened and how am _I_ feeling this good?" she asked.

"The short answer is magic." Irvine told her.

"Magic?" Sashi repeated. Irvine nodded.

"How? What kind?" Sashi asked, mind whirling with a million questions about how both she and Irvine had been healed.

Irvine put his hand up to forestall her, saying, "let's not get into that right now. Suffice it to say that it's a technique SeeDs use."

Changing the subject, Irvine grinned widely again, saying, "I didn't want to get into a long discussion about battle magic and stuff anyway, since I have some friends here that I'd like you to meet."

Motioning to Selphie, Irvine said, "This is my girlfriend Selphie," he pulled her closer and gave her a quick kiss before continuing, "and on the other side there, is a good friend of mine that I know you've been wanting to meet."

Sashi directed her attention to the other side of her bed and froze, eyes wide. Standing there next to a pretty, dark-haired young woman was…_Commander Leonhart_?

"Squall this is Sashi. Sashi, this is Squall, and the lovely young lady next to him is his wife, Rinoa." Irvine gestured to Squall and Rinoa, and smiled at Sashi's wide-eyed reaction.

"C-Commander Leonhart?" Sashi squeaked, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This had to be a dream. When she opened her eyes, Squall and Rinoa were still there, watching her patiently.

"Squall." He corrected her. He was, just as Carly had described, absolutely beautiful. Somehow though, he didn't seem quite as remote as Carly had said he was. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wasn't in uniform; instead he was casually dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt. His eyes also weren't quite as cold as she'd heard. Instead they were a warm turquoise color that put her in mind of a tropical lagoon.

"You have beautiful eyes," she said without thinking.

He blinked, surprised, and said, "Thanks. Uh, nice to meet you." At Rinoa's nudge he gently shook Sashi's hand. She grinned at him happily.

Rinoa smiled at Sashi and said, "I agree with you, by the way. I think his eyes are his best feature." Squall rolled his eyes at this and sighed. Rinoa laughed softly at his discomfort and gave him a quick hug.

"So you guys got married? When did that happen? It's kind of hard to keep up with stuff like that up here." Sashi commented.

"It'll be a year this July," Rinoa answered. Squall nodded.

"Wow, that's so sweet." Sashi said, sighing. She couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed at hearing that, but from what she could see, they both appeared, well.. Happy.

"I have to tell you, I've got a million questions to ask. I've wanted to meet you since forever it seems. Well, at least since I saw that gunblade issue of Weapons Monthly. Very nice." Sashi grinned. Then she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as Squall actually blushed.

"You know, I really thought they were just going to ask me about my gunblades," he said in an aggrieved voice.

"That's my favorite issue too," Rinoa whispered conspiratorially. Sashi giggled.

"Well, the gunblades _were_ interesting. I didn't know you had so many of them. So which one is your favorite one?" Sashi asked, curious. She was gratified when Squall, who up to that point had not been terribly talkative, became a bit more animated. From what Irvine had told her, it was just in his nature to be so taciturn.

"Oh, well that's easy. The Lion Heart. It was the hardest one for me to get but it's also the best of the bunch." He answered.

Irvine grinned as Squall talked with Sashi about his gunblades. Probably the _only_ thing that would get him talking like that was asking him about his weapons, but hey, it was a start. It didn't hurt that she genuinely seemed interested. Rinoa helped too, and Irvine enjoyed watching the interplay.

All too soon it seemed, it had to come to an end. While Sashi was enjoying the visit, she was restless and ready to get out of the hospital and head back to her barracks. Irvine too was getting anxious to get back to his barracks room, take a shower, and maybe have a proper reunion with Selphie, one that _wouldn't_ be interrupted. Irvine sent Selphie out to get a nurse, so that they could get that process started.

A few moments later when the door clicked open, Irvine thought it was Selphie returning with the nurse. Instead, it was Sashi's roommate, Jenna. Irvine froze. In the back of his mind, he heard the click of a hammer being drawn back, ready to slam down and either fire the bullet or click down on an empty chamber.

"Sashi! You're awake! And.. Apparently all better?" Jenna said, looking confused.

"Yeah, thanks to these guys," Sashi said, gesturing to Squall, Rinoa and Irvine. Jenna looked around and smiled slightly at Irvine, but didn't say anything, then looked over at Squall and Rinoa and her eyes widened.

"Wait. Is that really..?" Jenna started, and Squall, who by this time was getting really tired of the nonsense said wearily, "Yes, its really me."

"Wow! You know, you look taller in person than the pictures I've seen." Jenna commented.

"Probably because most photos I've seen floating around out there are from when I was seventeen. I've grown a couple of inches since then." Squall replied with a shrug. Irvine had to hand it to him, Squall was actually doing quite well with the meet and greet. Although it was becoming apparent that he was just about done with the visit.

"It was actually kind of funny," Irvine said, "about six months after we beat Ultimecia, suddenly none of Squall's clothes fit him anymore. Everything was too short on him. It really pissed him off too, until he finished with this 'late growth spurt' about when he turned nineteen and ended up hitting close to six feet."

Jenna and Rinoa both laughed, Sashi smiled and Squall sighed and shot an icy glare at Irvine.

Then Jenna turned to Irvine and said, "I'm glad to see you're better. When I heard you'd been hurt along with Sashi, I was really worried…" her voice trailed off and Irvine closed his eyes briefly, silently thanking her for her discretion. Squall however, looked from Jenna to Irvine and back again, his sharp eyes missing nothing. He remained silent, but Irvine could see he had some questions that would need answers.

The door handle clicked again, and this time it was Selphie and the nurse, and Irvine rolled his eyes when he recognized the same nurse who'd taken care of him earlier.

"You again," she said, then looked over at Sashi, observing, "it looks like you guys have worked your magic on her. Well, I'll go get the doctor and we'll check her out." The nurse turned and left, and Selphie came over to Irvine, wrapping one of her arms around his waist.

"We'd better get going," Irvine said to Sashi and Jenna.

Jenna frowned asking, "aren't you going to introduce me? I'm guessing this is your girlfriend?"

Irvine swallowed, and said, "Yeah. Selphie, this is Jenna, Sashi's roommate. Jenna, this is Selphie."

"It's nice to meet you Selphie," Jenna said politely. Irvine slowly let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and in his mental image of the gun trained at his heart, the hammer clicked down on an empty chamber.

***

When Irvine had finally left the hospital, he'd thought that he would be going back to his barracks room for a shower and then out into the field again for his final day there. He was surprised when Squall had told him that both the Colonel and the General were satisfied with the job Irvine had done and considered the contract complete, thus releasing him to go home to Balamb. That didn't sit well with Irvine however. It felt as though he'd left things unfinished somehow.

Objectively, he knew his trainees were ready. The only thing that would improve them from this point on was experience, and Irvine couldn't teach that. But he also didn't want to simply leave them without a word or even a good-bye. What he wanted to do was to mark the end of their training with a sort of graduation ceremony.

When he'd discussed that with Squall, he'd agreed that it was a good idea and set out to arrange that with the colonel and the general. They'd decided to hold it in two days time, on Saturday evening.

So he'd gathered his sparse belongings from his barracks room and boarded the Ragnarok with Squall and his friends, headed back home.

In just moments, he was walking down the hallway toward his room, Selphie beside him. It felt good to be back and he was looking forward to just relaxing and being with Selphie. He wanted, more than anything, to spend the night in her arms and forget…everything. Everything but her. But he couldn't do it with a lie between them, even if it was a lie of omission. He had to tell her, he couldn't leave what had happened in Dollet behind forever. Things like that had a tendency to come back and bite you in the ass when you least expected it. Best to get it out of the way and take the lumps early on.

It was time to man up and face up to the truth, and see if the next chamber in this game of roulette was a loaded one or not.

Reaching his room, Irvine dropped his duffel on the floor and said, "I'm gonna take a quick shower sweetheart, I've been dying for one all day. I'm sure I smell like I need it."

"Not so I'd notice," Selphie said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well, I need one anyway. And a shave too." Irvine said, scratching at his face.

"I kinda like the whiskers, they're sexy, " Selphie grinned, coming up to Irvine and putting both hands on either side of his face, rubbing gently at the stubble. Irvine closed his eyes and leaned into the caress, enjoying the itchy, tickly feel of her hands rubbing over the stubbly hair. He turned his face slightly and kissed the palm of her hand, pulling her close against him.

Her hands slid back into his hair, and she impishly tickled the back of his neck. He gasped for air and his knees went weak, then he kissed her. Their bodies pressed close together as they lost themselves in the kiss, Irvine's hands traveling up and down Selphie's back, memorizing her contours.

He needed to talk to her. He really did. He just couldn't bring himself to stop. If this ended up being the last time he could touch her, feel her, make love to her… he wanted it. He wanted tonight. He needed it. He wanted the memory, just in case that would be all he had left.

So it was with an edge of desperate urgency that he tasted her lips, fluttered kisses lightly down her neck, pausing to remove her shirt and continue down to her collarbone. Selphie gave as good as she got, dragging his shirt off as well and kissing his chest, teasing his nipples, tracing her hands down his belly to his waist and unbuckling his belt. His nerve endings were on fire and the slightest touch of her hands on his skin increased his tension to an unbearable level.

He vaguely remembered somehow getting her to the bed without stopping his kissing and caressing, somehow their remaining clothes were removed without pause. Lying her down, he traced his hand lightly from thigh, to hip, upward, pulling her to him again as he raised himself up onto his elbows and nibbled lightly at her neck again. _So soft, so sweet, I love you so much…_ he thought. Then he paused, for just a moment, to gaze down at her flushed face, swollen lips and beautiful jewel green eyes, stroking her hair back from her face before lowering himself to her and capturing her lips again as their bodies fused.

As one, they breathed, moved and loved each other until the building passion reached its peak and they fell together off the edge of the world, trembling and gasping for air. Breathless and spent, Irvine still didn't want to let Selphie go, so he rolled onto his side, taking her with him.

Lying face to face with her, he traced her curves from hip to shoulder, lightly running his fingers along her skin, up and down her side. Then around to her back, up and down, feeling the slick sweat over her silken skin, imprinting it into his memory. He smiled slightly as she shivered in response.

"I love you," he whispered. He could say more, wanted to say more. But some feelings were just too deep to articulate. Irvine suddenly understood with perfect clarity Squall's reticence when it came to expressing his emotions.

Selphie smiled, "I love you too, babe. You wanna take that shower now?" Irvine nodded silently.

She joined him in the shower, and while they did eventually get clean, the water ran cold long before they were finished.

Selphie had toweled off and went to get dressed while Irvine, towel wrapped around his waist, stood at the bathroom sink, finally shaving off his two-day growth of beard. He guessed it _did _look good, but the itch drove him crazy while it was growing in, so he decided to shave it. It was while he was drying off his face and hair that he suddenly noticed how quiet it was. Too quiet.

Poking his head out of the bathroom door, he looked around for Selphie, calling out, "Selph? Babe?" He wandered out of his bedroom to find her standing in his sitting room, his pants draped over one arm, and a piece of paper in the other hand. The note.

_Oh, Hell… _Irvine heard the mental click of the hammer being drawn back on his imaginary gun, and _this_ time, he didn't think he'd dodge the bullet.

"Selphie?" he asked, swallowing as she raised her eyes, bright with tears, to meet his.

"Have you called her?" she asked quietly.

"No, I haven't." he answered, watching her helplessly as she wiped her eyes.

He approached her slowly, saying, "I haven't had the time, or to be honest, the courage to do it." He stopped as she turned away.

"Can I explain?" he began, but she cut him off angrily, "explain what? That you met a girl in Dollet? That _something_ happened, she woke up in your bed and she wanted you to call her to talk about it? What's to explain?" Unfortunately, that terse rundown of events was damningly accurate. Irvine couldn't refute the facts. But he tried at least to explain them.

"Who is she?" Selphie asked.

He didn't want to answer her, but he did. "Jenna, Sashi's roommate. Selphie, listen. I know this doesn't excuse what happened, but I was drunk…"

He ducked as she flung his pants at him and spat sarcastically, "well that fucking explains _everything_, I feel so much better!"

"Selphie, dammit! Listen to me!" he approached her and grasped both shoulders, to keep her from running away before he said his piece. She glared at him, face rigid, and eyes still bright with angry tears.

"Please," he begged, "just listen, okay? I don't remember much of what happened that night, and.. And I can't excuse what I did." He laughed nervously, "I don't even remember if we actually _did_ anything or not, as embarrassing as that is to admit. I guess, things just got out of hand that night.." His voice trailed off as he felt his eyes stinging.

"I knew that I'd have to tell you what happened. I couldn't lie to you, I never could. I love you Selphie, if you believe nothing else, please believe that. And I also knew that… if I told you, it might be the end of _us_… of you and me." He ducked his head and dropped his hands, releasing her from his grip, hoping he hadn't bruised her with how desperately he'd been clinging to her.

He looked up to see her still glaring, still angry, hands balled up into tight, white-knuckled fists.

"I don't want it to be." He said softly. _Please, can you forgive me? _It was on the tip of his tongue, moments from being spoken. He'd actually opened his mouth to say it.

Before he could, a stinging slap came out of nowhere, rocking him back on his heels.

Irvine stared in shock as Selphie hissed, "Too fucking bad." Then she whirled and stalked out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her.

The boom echoed in his mind as the hammer came down on the loaded chamber and blew a hole right through the center of his life.


	7. Chapter 7: Hollow Point

Chapter 7: Hollow Point

At 4am, Irvine gave up on sleep. There was no point, really. His mind wouldn't let go of what had happened, kept replaying it in maddening repetition. He was left in the predawn darkness at a loss, yet again, on what to do. He wanted to try talking with Selphie again, maybe see if he could _somehow_, convince her to forgive him, give him another chance. But he thought it wiser for the moment to give her time to cool off.

At 4:03 he got up. He had to get out of his apartment; he couldn't stay there, staring at the walls forever. And he simply could _not_ lie in his empty bed, on sheets that still held her scent, which still bore the imprint of their union just hours before. He thought briefly about going for a run along the beach, but the chances were good he'd run into Squall, and he really didn't feel up to facing him just yet. Irvine was fairly certain that Selphie had spoken to Rinoa at some point during the night, and if Rinoa knew, then so did Squall. He knew his friend well, and while he _did_ have a long fuse, this was guaranteed to piss him off, and Irvine really didn't feel like dealing with a pissed-off Squall first thing in the morning.

Instead, Irvine put on his wetsuit and got his board out. It was early, way too early to surf, and the season was still a little bit too cold for Irvine's comfort, accustomed as he still was to Galbadia's warmer climate, but he needed to get out and do… something. _Anything_. Preferably something that did not require a lot of thought.

Not quite an hour later, Irvine sat on his board just offshore, watching as the sky gradually lightened from pitch black to gray. The wetsuit kept him reasonably warm but the water was cold as hell, and Irvine's feet, dangling on either side of his board into the chilly water, were going numb from the cold. The swells were still just gentle undulations that gradually flattened out as they reached the beach, not nearly enough for a good run. Irvine hoped it would pick up as the wind often freshened as the dawn progressed.

Sure enough, a breeze came up and the water gathered more chop. The swells grew larger until Irvine judged they were almost big enough to surf on. Looking off to the east, Irvine saw clouds building and a blood red dawn just staining their undersides. _Red skies at morning…._ Irvine thought, remembering the old seaman's adage that foretold a coming squall. He almost laughed when he saw the personification of the word far off in the distance, loping along the beach.

Irvine turned and paddled back farther from the shore, catching a good sized swell and getting up, standing firmly on his board despite his ice cold feet to ride it. For the next few moments, Irvine tested himself against the wave, adjusting his balance and the direction of his board to ride it down to the beach.

He leaped off his board before the water got too shallow to avoid grinding the fin into the sand and headed back out, fighting through the breakers until he could get back up onto his board to go farther out. The swells were setting up nicely, and Irvine caught a couple more really challenging waves. This time, rather than ride them down to the beach, he rode along them instead until they flattened out and he turned over the crest, paddling back out to sea to wait for the next wave.

The waves were getting bigger and Irvine was really enjoying the challenge, sailing down the inner curve of one of the largest ones yet, trying to shoot the curl before it collapsed and wiped him out. He almost made it. He knew the wipeout was coming and braced himself, taking a deep breath as the weight of the water crashed down on him and flung him from his board. Fighting the turbulent current to the surface, Irvine gasped for air as the cold seeped into his wetsuit and pulled on the tether that was attached to his surfboard.

Shaking the water from his hair, he got back up onto his board, shivering, and debated making another run. He sat on his surfboard, feeling the breeze pick up, chilling him. The rising sun was warm, but not warm enough. The cold was starting to affect his reactions; the wipeout was a stark reminder of that fact. He needed to come in and get warm or he faced the very real danger of hypothermia. He compromised by riding one last, perfect wave down to the beach.

He jumped off his board before the water receded, picked it up and waded toward the beach to find Squall pacing back and forth, breathing deeply, apparently finished with his morning run.

And also apparently, waiting for him.

"Hey," Irvine said as he approached. Squall nodded silently in greeting and started stretching, finishing his cool down. Irvine set his board down and waited, staring out to sea and watching, as the day grew brighter. The chill of the water seemed to have eaten into his bones, and he shivered again, the warmth generated from his walk up to the beach seeping away. He could feel the warmth of the sun on his face, but he was wet, and the stiffening breeze still chilled him.

"So. You and Selphie." Squall finally said.

"Yeah. I take it she talked to Rinoa last night." Irvine replied. He wrapped his arms around himself, still shivering in fits. A knot of cold emptiness had settled in the pit of his stomach, but that, Irvine knew, had nothing to do with the water temperature. _That _cold, hollow feeling had been there since Selphie had stormed out of his apartment.

"She did." Squall answered. Irvine turned to look at him, but Squall's expression was neutral.

Irvine sighed and looked away again, saying, "I know what you're thinking, and you're right. I'm a first-class idiot. What the hell was I thinking?"

"Its pretty obvious that you weren't." Squall said.

"I don't even remember how it happened. All I get are vague impressions that I was with…with Jenna, but no details. I don't even know for sure that we actually had sex." Irvine said, shivering violently again. He had brought a thermos of coffee with him, it was in his truck. He hoped it was still hot, because he needed the warmth desperately.

Irvine picked up his surfboard and started up the beach toward his truck to get the coffee and dry off. The wind had dried him off a little, but his hair was still wet. Squall followed him up and waited while Irvine put the board into the bed of his truck and got out the thermos and a towel.

"I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to drag your ass back to Garden before you froze to death." Squall commented.

"I'm not _that_ stupid." Irvine said, towel-drying his hair and stripping off his wetsuit, quickly slipping into a dry shirt and sweatpants. He poured himself a cup of coffee and tilted the thermos toward Squall, who shook his head, declining the offer. He took a sip of the strong brew and sighed in relief as he felt the warmth spread from his stomach outward.

"I've never done that to Selphie before, Squall. I don't know if I can fix this." Irvine said, aching.

"You hurt her." Squall said in a tense voice. Irvine glanced over at him to see that his eyes had gone as cold as a stormy sea. Irvine knew then that his friend was furious but doing his best to remain a neutral party in this little drama. It wasn't Squall's style to get mixed up in Irvine's peccadilloes.

"I know. And it's killing me." Irvine leaned back against the side of his truck, sipping at his coffee, feeling utterly defeated. He was beaten before he even started, by his reckoning, given his past history. _How will she ever trust me again? How can I even convince her that I'm serious about her.. about us…?_

"How do I make it up to her? Where do I even start?" Irvine asked, helplessly.

"You're asking _me_? How the hell should _I_ know? You know I'm no good at this stuff." Squall replied, annoyed. Irvine snorted, realizing he was right. If he was asking _Squall_ for romantic advice, then he was truly desperate.

He gazed out over the sea to the building clouds that had momentarily obscured the sun and cast a grayish pall upon the beach. The fitful breeze changed to wind, whipping spray off of the waves now crashing to the shore.

"Storm's coming." Irvine observed.

Squall agreed, "Looks like a bad one."

"You want a ride back?" Irvine offered. Squall nodded. He opened the door and got in, with Squall following suit on the passenger side. He started the engine and turned on the heater, sighing as it banished the lingering chill from his body.

"Nice truck." Squall commented, gazing around at the interior. Black on black, naturally, and Irvine had opted for buttery smooth leather rather than cloth or vinyl for the interior. And the sound system was top-notch.

"I like it. Great for camping trips." Irvine said, putting the vehicle into gear and driving away from the beach. They both lapsed into silence, Irvine lost in his thoughts, and Squall simply being, well… Squall.

As they approached Garden, Irvine said, "You know, when I saw you on the beach I figured I was in for an ass-kicking."

"I'm staying out of this. You two are on your own." Squall said seriously, then he smiled slightly, adding, "that doesn't mean you've dodged the ass-kicking though."

"What do you mean?" Irvine asked warily.

"Don't be surprised if Zell asks you to spar with him. Be prepared, because he's even madder than I am." Squall answered.

"Aw, shit." Irvine groaned. Zell could be brutal when he was _teaching_. When he was pissed off and spoiling for a fight, he was dangerous.

Irvine seriously considered turning his truck around and heading straight for the Balamb train station to hop the first departure out of town for the next few hours at least, but that was the coward's way out. Besides, he had too many things to do to just run off like that. So, while he didn't relish the idea of facing Zell in a temper, even if it was kitted out with protective gear, he wasn't going to back down from the challenge when it came.

So, he parked his truck, said goodbye to Squall, picked up his surfboard, wetsuit and the rest of his stuff, and walked back to his room for a hot shower and maybe, just _maybe_, breakfast. He was a little doubtful about that last. He hadn't had much of an appetite since Selphie left, not bothering with dinner the night before. He knew he had to eat though; otherwise it would start affecting his health.

As it was, he already looked markedly thinner than he had when he'd left for Dollet two weeks ago. Part of that was due to the food at the base, which hadn't been very appetizing, part of it was stress, and part of it of course was the sheer physicality of the fieldwork portion of the training he'd done. Add to that his injury and healing, the whirlwind of getting back home from Dollet and then his fight with Selphie, and Irvine couldn't honestly say _when_ he'd last eaten an actual meal.

Once he'd showered and shaved, and gotten dressed in his last clean pair of jeans and t-shirt combo, he headed out toward the cafeteria to see if he could handle breakfast. He sighed as he tugged at the loose waistband of his pants. They weren't his favorite pair of jeans; he didn't wear them much because they were normally a bit on the tight side for him. They weren't this time however, they were loose enough he considered adding a belt. And ironically, they were a deep black, matching both his shirt and his mood.

A few minutes later he sat in the cafeteria listlessly poking at his eggs with a wedge of toast, hat pulled down low over his eyes. The eggs didn't appeal to him, but then again, nothing much that had been offered from the breakfast menu had. He knew he had to eat, emotional funk notwithstanding, so he finally forced himself take a bite. He mechanically chewed and swallowed, mind firmly elsewhere, not tasting the food.

Instead he thought about what he had to do that day. It _should_ have been his final day teaching his students in Dollet. Instead, he was back home in Balamb, hoping his trainees didn't think he'd abandoned them. Tomorrow was the impromptu "graduation" ceremony he'd planned. He had a few things in mind for the party that he needed to get to work on if it was going to come about like he wanted.

With that in mind, he really had to get busy on his laundry, and take his dress uniform in for tailoring and cleaning. He'd never worn it, not having had an actual graduation ball himself. It was an oversight he hadn't bothered to mention because he'd already achieved what he'd wanted. He'd helped save the world, for Hyne's sake. He'd been promoted to full SeeD based on his contribution to that goal. He'd never participated in a field exam, so there was no point in doing a Graduation ball just for him.

He did however take on the A-level combine, eighteen months after his promotion, just to put to rest the naysayers who seemed to think he hadn't actually earned it. When he made A-level rank a few months later, there were no complaints.

It occurred to him that he'd be right back where all his problems started by going back to Dollet on Saturday, but it actually presented an opportunity. After breakfast, he was going to finally call Jenna, and ask if he could meet her Saturday at the coffee shop by the beach to talk. Maybe, she could help him remember what had happened that night.

He'd just finished breakfast when Zell plopped himself into the seat opposite him, glaring.

"You are an asshole." He said angrily. Irvine sighed. _Here it comes, _he thought.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Irvine replied sarcastically.

"You and me. One hour. Wear your gear and you'd better cast Regen on yourself before you get in the ring with me, 'cause I'm gonna fuck you up." Zell said coldly, then he got up and stalked out of the cafeteria.

One hour later on the dot, Irvine stood limbering up outside the sparring ring in the gym. He'd made sure he had all of his protective gear on; mouth guard, headgear, gloves, and of course, as advised, he'd cast regen. He was under no illusions whatsoever that this would be a fair match. Despite the fact that he stood more than half a foot taller than Zell and ordinarily at least, outweighed him by a good twenty pounds, Irvine knew that Zell could kick his ass six ways from Sunday.

And it was obvious he planned on using _all _of those six ways.

Zell made his appearance at length, wearing his own protective gear, and started warming up outside the ring. Compact and muscular, compared to Irvine's leaner, rangier build, he moved with lightning quick speed. Despite the fact that he had a longer reach, Irvine doubted he'd get too many of his punches to actually land.

Finally, warmup completed, Zell hopped up into the ring, motioning for Irvine to join him. Sighing inwardly, Irvine climbed up, doing a quick self-assessment as he did and confirming that he was warmed up and as ready as he'd ever be.

And just like that, without warning, Zell went on the attack. Taken by surprise, Irvine danced aside and just narrowly missed a jab to the midsection. He brought his guard up and blocked the next two quick, hard punches and threw in a quick one-two combo himself, landing one on Zell's jaw. With Zell's attack, Irvine knew that he wasn't holding anything back, so he didn't either. Then he danced back, watching the center of Zell's chest closely. That would telegraph where he was going, not his eyes, not his fists. His body.

When Zell shifted to the left, Irvine brought his guard up and blocked the punch, then stepped in for a reverse low punch to the gut, scoring a solid hit. Dancing back however, he was too slow to bring his guard back up and caught a _very_ quick jab and hook combo to his face and body, Zell capitalizing on his inattention. Irvine staggered back, shook his head and regrouped, making sure that _this_ time, his guard was up where it should be and flung an uppercut at Zell's chin.

It missed, but as Zell danced backward, it brought him into range for a roundhouse kick, which Irvine whipped out to connect solidly with Zell's ribcage. He shifted his balance and aimed higher, just missing Zell's head with another quick roundhouse kick as Zell shifted away to avoid it. Irvine shifted his feet and fired another lightning fast kick at Zell hitting him hard in the gut, using the advantage of his long legs. Then Zell came back with a vengeance, pummeling Irvine with a series of blows he was hard-pressed to even _see_, much less block.

He tried; he even tried to counter, throwing everything he had into a series of punches and kicks that _did_ back Zell up a few paces. He even scored a couple of good hits on him. But Zell was relentless and Irvine was getting tired. He reflected ruefully that he wasn't in nearly as good of shape as he thought he was if he was _this _tired just minutes into a sparring match.

Another one-two combo, to the gut and the jaw, knocked the wind out of Irvine and sent him to the canvas, seeing stars. He gasped for air and fought back the fog the best he could, and staggered to his feet, bringing his guard up one more time. Too late, as another high-low combo hit Irvine in the face and the body and laid him out cold.

He groaned as his senses returned slowly to him, feeling battered and bruised despite the regeneration spell that automatically healed his injuries. Zell crouched a few paces away, watching him closely.

"You _did_ cast regen, right?" He asked, watching as Irvine started slowly climbing to his feet, wiping blood from a split lip off of his chin.

"Yes," Irvine answered. He was still a little dazed however, and he had completely lost track of how long they'd been sparring. He felt the pain of his split lip, at least one cracked rib and numerous bruises as he got to his feet.

Zell saw Irvine's glassy-eyed exhaustion and decided he'd made his point. Normally, their sparring bouts lasted longer than this, but Zell hadn't missed the fact that Irvine had lost weight and condition over the last two weeks.

"You're out of shape." Zell commented.

"I know," Irvine sighed.

"You need to get in here with me more often. That'll straighten you out." Zell said. Irvine made his way, almost staggering, to the corner post and leaned back against it for a few moments, panting. The regen spell eventually did its work and Irvine started to feel better, less battered.

He nodded. He couldn't deny that sparring with Zell on a regular basis had made him a better fighter overall. The attempted mugging in Deling City had illustrated that fact vividly.

"I still think you're an asshole." Zell said.

Irvine sighed and took out his mouth guard, saying, "look, I know this won't make any difference in the long run, but it's not like I intended to do that to her."

Zell paused and studied Irvine in silence. His normally cocky self-confidence with regards to Selphie was gone. He'd crossed a line he hadn't intended to cross and realized that there may not be any way to fix what he'd broken, and it crushed him. Zell watched as Irvine slowly slid his back down the corner post until he was sitting on the canvas again, arms resting on his knees, staring blindly into space.

"But you're right Zell," Irvine said softly, "I am, or at least I _was_, an asshole, the way I treated Selphie."

"Meet me here once a week and I'll beat that out of you." Zell offered. Irvine looked up and smiled slightly.

Then he sighed, "Couldn't hurt. Lord knows; both you _and_ Squall by turns have likely wanted to beat some sense into me for some time, I'm sure."

"Hey, that sounds like a good idea. I should go check to see if Squall's up for a two-on-one tag team match with you for next week." Zell said, grinning. Irvine groaned. He hoped Zell was kidding.

Then Zell changed the subject again, asking him, "look man, do you love her?"

"Yes," Irvine answered.

"I mean; do you _really_ love her? Do you love her enough to take a leap of faith for her?" Zell asked seriously.

Irvine gazed up at him, knowing what he was getting at. Squall had taken a leap of faith for Rinoa, leaping heedlessly into outer space to go after her, not knowing if either of them would even survive. He didn't think about their chances of survival, didn't think about possibly dying with her in the airless void. He went after her knowing they might both perish, and wanting to be with her regardless. So that she wouldn't die alone.

Aloof, emotionally crippled, unromantic Squall had done the most romantic thing a man could do for the woman he loved. He'd dared death for her. Irvine realized that his friend had set the bar impossibly high. But if Squall, with his issues, could manage _that_, could Irvine do any less?

Finally, he answered Zell, "Yes, I do."

Zell reached out his hand to help Irvine to his feet, urging him, "then do it. Make that leap."

_Marry her._

Zell hadn't said it. But that was what had flashed into Irvine's brain like a lightning strike. Marriage. The ultimate leap of faith. The next thing that Irvine was expecting was the gut-deep, strangling fear that always accompanied that thought.

It didn't come. Instead, he felt a firm resolve to do whatever it took to convince Selphie that he wanted her in his life. For good, for bad, for everything in between. For the rest of his life.

After showering off the sweat from his sparring match, Irvine drove to Balamb to do his laundry, get his dress uniform altered and cleaned, and to take care of a few other errands he needed to do.

The storm that Irvine had seen moving in that morning had struck with the suddenness typical of a spring gale, and Irvine had to drive his truck through the sheeting rain to get to town. That irritated him because that meant that he'd have a devil of a time getting his clothes from the Laundromat to his truck without getting them wet.

The first thing he did once he got to Balamb was to stop a flower shop and order a bouquet of yellow daisies to be sent to Selphie, along with a card saying simply, "I'm sorry." It would do for a start, but Irvine knew it would take more than just some flowers to straighten things out with her.

The next stop was the dry cleaners. It was while he was getting measured for the alteration of his uniform that he remembered he'd intended to call Jenna. Begging the pardon of the man doing his measurements, Irvine quickly fished out her note and dialed the number on it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Jenna, it's Irvine." He said.

"Hey, how's it going?" she asked.

Irvine sighed, "It could be better. Listen, could we meet up at the coffee shop by the strand tomorrow around noon? I know I've been putting this off, but I need to talk to you."

"Sure," she said.

"Great, thanks. I'll see you there at noon then." Irvine confirmed.

"Right. Noon. Talk to you later," she said.

"Bye," Irvine said. Then he cut the connection and put the cell phone back into his pocket before returning to the tailor.

"Thanks for waiting," Irvine said to the man.

"No problem sir. So, are you getting married?" the tailor asked, continuing with his measuring. Irvine paused. He was going to answer "no" because at the moment, he had yet to even ask Selphie that question, much less get a positive response from her. But, he _wanted_ to marry her, and he _intended_ to ask her. Just as soon as he somehow managed to regain her trust and rebuild what he'd damaged.

He couldn't actually say 'yes', but he didn't want to say 'no' either, so he compromised by answering, "eventually."

"I see. I saw the fancy dress uniform and naturally assumed that you were. So I take it you're a SeeD then?" the man asked.

"Yes," Irvine confirmed.

The man finished up his measurements and asked, "When do you need the uniform sir?"

"Tomorrow. I have a formal occasion in Dollet that I need it for. Can you have it altered and cleaned by then?" Irvine asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem. I'll get started right away." The tailor answered.

"Thank you," Irvine paid the man and gave him his cell phone number to notify him when he could pick up his uniform.

The next errand on his list was laundry, which Irvine really hated to do, but he had no other choice, he'd let it go long enough as it was. Getting that necessary task completed took a sizeable chunk of time out of his day, and his stomach was growling at him by the time it was done. He took a quick break for lunch at a local seaside café; indoors unfortunately, as it was still raining, and ran over in his mind the tasks he still had to complete while in town.

Some of them were darned difficult to get done in the time Irvine had, but he managed. Finally, satisfied he'd accomplished everything he needed to in order to further his plans, not only for the graduation party but also for his campaign to win Selphie back, he headed back to Garden.


	8. Chapter 8: Armor Piercing

**Author's Note**: This was a really tough chapter for me to write. It was actually emotionally wrenching for me, but I managed to get through it. I didn't want to get maudlin, but I also didn't want to gloss over anything either. Hopefully, I've managed to find a balance and everything feels genuine with how this kind of situation might be handled... hopefully anyway.

Chapter 8: Armor Piercing

Selphie had just curled up on her sofa with her favorite stuffed kitty, hot chocolate, and friend-Rinoa, when a knock at the door sounded. Sighing, she got up and answered the door, wondering if it might be Irvine trying to work his way back into her good graces. She wasn't sure she was ready to deal with him yet. She wasn't sure she wanted to deal with him anymore at all.

She was surprised however when it turned out not to be Irvine but rather a bouquet of flowers sent by him. Yellow daisies, which he knew were her favorite. In spite of herself, she smiled and thanked the delivery person.

"Who was that?" Rinoa asked when Selphie returned with the flowers.

"Delivery. From Irvine." She said, placing them on the coffee table. She took the card that came with them and read the short, two-word message. _"I'm sorry." _It said, as if those two words would make everything better. Selphie didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that.

"They're pretty." Rinoa said. She saw the card and saw Selphie's eyes fill up with tears again as she read it. She patted Selphie on the back and rubbed her shoulder, lending her support. It had been a rough night, not only for Selphie but for her as well as she helped her friend deal with what may well be the final breakup between her and Irvine. She hoped not, but when Selphie had told her what happened, she began to wonder.

"The note says 'I'm sorry', like I'm just going to forget what he did and everything will be peachy." Selphie said, wiping her eyes.

"Has he tried to call or talk to you yet?" Rinoa asked.

Selphie shook her head, "No. And he usually has by now, if we've had one of our spats."

"Well, this is more than just a little spat. At least he sent you flowers, so he _is_ thinking of you. He might just be trying to give you some space." Rinoa said comfortingly.

"I'm sorry I bugged you and Squall last night. I hope I didn't keep you guys up too late." Selphie sighed, and then sipped at her cocoa. A cold, rainy spring day just lent itself to hot cocoa and cozy companionship. Selphie swallowed suddenly, remembering other rainy days like this where she and Irvine simply never made it out of bed…_like the weekend we spent in Trabia…_she remembered painfully.

"He was a little irritated by that but he was more angry at Irvine for hurting you." Rinoa said.

"I didn't think he cared that much.." Selphie said, before realizing that _of course_ Squall cared, he just did so in his own fashion.

"You'd be surprised by how much he actually does care about his friends. He just doesn't allow himself to show it much." Rinoa said, sipping at her own cocoa.

"I know. But you're right. You can't ever make assumptions when it comes to Squall, can you?" Selphie asked.

Rinoa shook her head, smiling, "No, you can't. And you know, the same could be said about Irvine, couldn't it?"

Selphie shrugged. On the surface, Irvine wasn't all that hard to figure out. He liked guns, women and fun. But there were glimpses of a deeper, more sensitive persona under the surface that only Selphie had seen. To anyone else, he was just a shallow womanizer who was out for a good time, with nothing more profound on his mind than his next conquest. There were many who wondered why Selphie put up with him.

And honestly, there were times that she didn't want to. But one thing that she'd come to know about Irvine was the fact that he was honest about whatever he did. He didn't try to lie or hide his flirtations, and up until his trip to Dollet, it had never gotten physical. But she had sensed a shift in his attitude and behavior that had given her hope that he'd started to outgrow it a little. But now, she wasn't sure anymore what to think.

"Yeah," Selphie said finally, "I suppose it could." She sipped her cooling cocoa, feeling a little less lonely than she had the night before, and glad of Rinoa and Angelo's company. She reached out and scratched the dog's ears, smiling as he licked her in appreciation.

Then she sighed. She couldn't monopolize Rinoa's company indefinitely, if nothing else, Squall would have something to say about that. She hadn't called Quistis yet, didn't want to bother her when she had classes to teach. And Zell was more than willing to allow her to dampen his shoulder yet again, but he was a guy, and Selphie just didn't want to deal with anything _male_ at the moment. And really, she didn't _need _to have someone babysit her every time she had a fight with her boyfriend. She had to at least make an attempt at living her life even if a large part of it was missing.

She had to think, and make some hard choices, and none of her friends could or _would_ do that for her.

"Rin, I really appreciate you hanging out with me today but I know you've got other things you need to do. I'll be okay by myself if you need to go." Selphie said.

"Are you sure Selphie?" Rinoa asked, concerned.

Selphie nodded, "Yeah, I promise not to slash my wrists or anything stupid like that."

"What are you going to do?" Rinoa asked.

"I don't know, but I think a hot bath and a good cry might be a good place to start." Selphie said with a sigh.

"And then what?" prompted Rinoa.

"Housework? Dusting, Dishes, whatever. Anything to keep me busy I guess." Selphie answered.

"Well, okay. Give me a call if you need anything." Rinoa said, giving her a hug. Selphie got up and followed her to the door and gave her another hug just before opening the door to let her out.

As she did, Rinoa noticed the envelope that had been partly slipped under Selphie's door.

She picked it up, saying, "Hey, Selphie, did you drop some mail earlier?"

Selphie frowned, "no, not that I know of. What is it?"

"Well, it's addressed to you. It looks like a card." Rinoa answered, handing it to her.

Selphie opened it and froze. It was from Irvine. But it wasn't a poem or an "I'm so sorry, please forgive me" card. Instead, it was an invitation. Printed on snowy white, embossed card stock, with gilt, fancy script.

It said simply, _Mr. Irvine Kinneas requests the pleasure of your company at the Graduation Celebration for the Dollet Sniper class. Saturday, May 8__th__, 6pm at the Grand Ballroom, Hotel Dollet. Formal attire required. _

"It's an invitation. To the graduation party for Irvine's sniper class." Selphie answered.

"Are you going to go?" Rinoa asked, curious. Selphie shrugged.

"I don't know. Why would he ask me?" She said, confused.

"Because he wants you there, why else? Well, I already know Squall and I are going. I'm not going to miss an opportunity to get Squall into, and _out of_, his dress uniform." Rinoa said with a wicked grin, then she added, "You know, this may be your only chance to see _Irvine_ wearing an actual SeeD dress uniform as well."

"This thing is happening tomorrow. Where am I going to get a formal gown in that amount of time?" Selphie complained.

"We'll figure something out. Maybe if the rain lets up we'll head into Balamb later to see what's available." Rinoa answered.

Then she smiled, "Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up. This could be fun!"

"If you say so," said Selphie doubtfully. She still wasn't sure she actually wanted to go. But at the same time, the thought of seeing Irvine again, in a formal uniform no less, _did _intrigue her.

"I'll give you a call later." Rinoa said as she left. Selphie nodded and gave her a halfhearted wave.

She didn't know if it was a good idea to do this or not, but Irvine wanted her there. That was something, she supposed. She had to face him sooner or later, and maybe then she'd figure out if she even wanted him back in her life.

* * *

"Thanks for coming Jenna," Irvine said as the girl sat down across from him. He'd gotten up early, a habit with him lately since sleep was still an elusive commodity. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep hadn't helped him much physically. His bout with Zell was pretty pathetic, mainly due to that, and he was starting to show his fatigue. He'd prepared all that he could for today, silently slipping an invitation to the party under Selphie's door yesterday, hoping she'd come. He'd known she was home, visiting with Rinoa, but hadn't wanted to disturb her. Not yet.

He hoped if nothing else, she at least appreciated the flowers.

Jenna smiled, saying, "You look tired."

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well lately." Irvine answered with a sigh, sipping at his coffee.

"Why?" Jenna asked, curious. He seemed more subdued than she remembered him being. Then, he'd been disappointed and missing his girlfriend but still he'd been fun, exuberant. Now, he looked tired and seemed sad.

"Selphie found your note before I could say anything to her, and… it didn't end well." Irvine answered, looking out toward the beach. He appreciated the calming effect of the waves, their eternal rhythm nearly hypnotic in their repetition.

"I'm sorry. So, she dumped you?" Jenna asked, wondering if there was another reason he'd asked to meet with her besides the one he'd told her.

"I don't know. She just left, but I don't know if we're over or if she just needed to get away from me for awhile." Irvine said, remembering vividly that night. After Selphie had left him, almost literally naked and alone, he'd slowly sank down onto his couch, still staring in shock at his closed door. He still didn't know how he'd survived that night. He'd felt as though his heart had been blown from his chest, leaving an empty, gaping hole.

Nothing could fill that emptiness but her. He didn't even want to _try_ anything or anyone else.

Irvine turned back to Jenna, and the raw pain in his eyes made her gasp.

"Can you help me remember what happened that night? I only remember vague impressions of being with you, but not much else. I just need to know if we really…" Irvine swallowed, his voice trailing off.

Jenna sighed. He truly did love his girlfriend, and that disappointed her a little. He was very attractive and even though they _didn't_ manage to get completely intimate, they'd gotten close enough it had given her a good idea of just how good a lover he would be. Added to that, he was… _sweet_, something she hadn't seen until the next morning.

Finally, she answered, "No, we didn't. We came close, but unfortunately for you, you obviously weren't aware that Dollet's brew is…unique."

Irvine frowned, "_Unique?_ How?"

"It has twice the alcohol content of beer brewed anywhere else. If you're used to what they brew in Galbadia or Balamb, the beer here will knock you for a loop. Which is exactly what happened." She answered.

"Wait." Irvine said as he began to realize what might have occurred, "So, I drank apparently twice what I'd intended to, based on the alcohol content of the beer, we started making out and.. What then? I went blank after that."

"You passed out." Jenna answered with a sympathetic smile. Irvine stared at her, mouth open in shock.

"I passed out." He repeated, stunned. Jenna nodded.

"_I passed out?"_ He asked again, incredulous.

"Yes." Jenna confirmed, trying not to smile at the expressions chasing themselves across his face. Relief, shock, embarrassment, and back to relief again by turns.

Taking his hat off for a moment to run his fingers through his hair, he gave her a rueful look as he replaced it, saying, "That has _never _happened to me before. I don't know how to feel about that.. Both embarrassed and relieved, I guess."

"So, you've never gotten drunk, passed out and woke up in bed with a stranger." Jenna stated.

"NO. Sweetie, by the time I get to bed with someone, she ain't a stranger, and by golly I'm _going_ to be present and _aware_ of what we end up doing. Anything else is an insult to her and disrespectful to _me_. That's why the thought that I'd done exactly the opposite bothered me so much." Irvine answered.

Jenna sighed, "You really are a sweetheart Irvine. Your Selphie's a lucky girl. I hope she realizes that."

"Yeah, well, right now I'm on her shit list and I don't know if I'm getting off of it any time soon. If ever." Irvine said glumly.

"Well," Jenna said, "I hate to say this but if things don't work out with her, give me a call. I'd like to finish what we started." Irvine shook his head, sighing.

"I appreciate the offer, but…" he started, but Jenna stopped him.

"I know. Just think about it, okay?" She reached out and gripped his hand, giving it a squeeze. He squeezed gently back and released her hand.

"Thanks," he said, deciding to take the offer in the spirit with which it was intended. He doubted he'd ever follow through and actually take her up on it, even if he _couldn't_ work things out with Selphie. It just wouldn't be right.

Jenna stood up to leave, saying, "Well, I'd better get going. It was nice to see you again, even if it wasn't under circumstances I would have liked. Take it easy, and good luck, Irvine."

"Thank you Jenna" he replied.

She shrugged, "I hope it helps. I really do."

"Yeah, me too." He said.

After Jenna left, Irvine remained at the café, listening to the surf and thinking. He felt some measure of relief in knowing that he hadn't _actually_ had sex with Jenna, but only a small measure. The fact remained that if he _hadn't_ passed out, he _would_ have. Selphie wasn't stupid. She'd pick up on that fact. And he had no way of answering that.

He could make all the promises in the world, but if he didn't change certain aspects of his basic personality, he'd end up in the same position yet again. _What is wrong with me? How can I avoid having something like this happen again? I'm not a bad person; I just like going out and having fun. And up until now, that's all it was. Why now, all of a sudden, and why Jenna? What made me play such a dangerous game? _Irvine pondered that question, digging as far into his memory as he could, searching for any tiny detail that might shed some light on what he was thinking that night.

If his memories of that night were fuzzy, his thought processes that led up to the situation he woke up in were doubly so. He had to find an answer for it, he _had_ to know; if he could find that fatal flaw in his thinking, in his character, he could correct it.

Before he made that leap of faith, he had to make sure that he wouldn't stumble sometime down the line.

His thoughts chased each other round and round until he finally shook his head in frustration, unable to come up with any answers. He thought briefly about getting lunch, but he wasn't hungry. At length he stood up to leave, dropping a couple of gil on the table for the patient, long-suffering and thankfully discreet waitress, and made his way out of the café and headed back to the hotel. He still had several hours yet before the party started, but there were still some details he needed to see to.

* * *

"What do you think Selphie?" Rinoa asked, holding up two different dresses for her opinion.

Selphie frowned in concentration, momentarily diverted from her somewhat morose thoughts. Rinoa's choices were equally good. One was a royal blue silk sheath with spaghetti straps, and the other, an iridescent bronze taffeta strapless gown. Either would look good on Rinoa, her dark eyes and hair and pale skin making her able to pull off any number of vivid colors with the exception of yellow…. And black. Rinoa absolutely refused to wear a black dress. It looked _good_ on her, but she didn't like the associations the color had.

"I like the royal blue. You've always looked good in blue." Selphie finally answered.

"Blue it is then," Rinoa said, putting the bronze dress back on the rack. It was almost too late to find anything worthwhile in Balamb; they only had a couple of hours before they had to leave for Dollet.

Rinoa was lucky in her find, and it helped that she already had in mind what she was looking for. Selphie was less so. She half-heartedly looked at the beautiful gowns in the dress shop, and didn't see anything that appealed to her. There was a green silk, but she didn't like the style, and the green had too much blue in it, there was a lemony yellow strapless that was a possibility, but it didn't fit her right and she felt it held too much danger of a "wardrobe malfunction". Rinoa was already wearing blue, Selphie didn't like the red dress she saw, and gold held possibilities but when she tried it on the color made her look sickly.

Finally she threw her hands up in frustration, saying, "There's nothing here that I want to wear, Rinoa. Maybe I should just forget it."

Rinoa shook her head, "No, you don't. You're going."

"In what, my birthday suit?" Selphie demanded.

"We'll think of something, don't worry. Let me get this paid for and we'll head back to Garden." Rinoa said, her arm around Selphie.

Selphie sighed. Why was she doing this? Just so she could show Irvine that she wasn't going to hide from him? For some reason Selphie couldn't fathom, she was going along with Rinoa's urging, but she just wasn't in the mood for dress shopping.

Later, when Squall and Rinoa both showed up at her door to take her to the train station with them, she met Rinoa's dismay and Squall's raised eyebrows with her chin raised and challenge in her eyes.

"Selphie? Seriously? You're wearing _that_?" Rinoa asked.

"I'm a SeeD, remember? If its good enough for Squall and Irvine, its good enough for me." Selphie brushed at the lapel of her dress uniform and made sure all of her various medals and commendations were properly displayed.

Standing at attention, she asked Squall, "Commander, do I pass muster?"

Taking her question seriously, Squall gave her a once over and nodded, "You do indeed, Miss Tilmitt." She smiled brilliantly at him, not missing the approval in his eyes.

Rinoa sighed, "Okay then, let's go. You _do_ look good Selphie, by the way. It's just that you look like you're wearing armor when you put that uniform on."

"Maybe that's the reason I'm wearing it." Selphie said softly as they left.

At Rinoa's recommendation, Selphie had packed an overnight bag, and intended to book a room once she got to the hotel since the party had the potential of going long past the time the last train left.

Once they boarded the train, Selphie couldn't help feeling her customary excitement at the impending rail trip, and could barely contain her impatience as Squall opened the door to SeeD's private car with a droll look.

Selphie spent the duration of the trip watching the countryside through the window, doing her best not to think, and glad that Squall and Rinoa had wisely decided to leave her alone for the moment. She knew they were close by, and if she did need companionship, she had only to go into the sitting room to find them.

They made it to Dollet with just one hour to spare before the party started. Squall and Rinoa checked into their room and Selphie was in the process of doing the same when the concierge asked her name a second time.

"Yes, it's Tilmitt, Selphie Tilmitt. Are there any rooms available?" She asked, beginning to worry that the hotel was booked.

"As it happens, we have one left. It was reserved for you yesterday. Room 108." The concierge answered.

"Reserved? For me?" she stared at the man, confused. She hadn't called in a reservation, and she didn't think Rinoa had had time to do that either.

"Um," she asked, already guessing who may have done so, "could you tell me who reserved the room?"

"A Mr. Irvine Kinneas." the concierge answered.

_That bastard, what does he think he's doing? What game is he playing at? _Selphie thought, beginning to fume.

"And where is Mr. Kinneas's room, so that I can thank him for his generosity?" she asked sweetly, hoping the man didn't catch the sarcastic edge to her tone.

"Mr. Kinneas is in Room 217."

That stopped her. Irvine wasn't in the next room, across the hall or even on the same floor. She numbly took the key from the concierge and thanked him, and made her way to her room.

When she opened the door, she dropped her bag just inside the doorway and simply stared. Flowers. Flowers _everywhere_. The room hadn't quite been _filled _with flowers, but a bouquet sat upon every available surface. There were daisies, irises, carnations, tulips, and roses, in a dizzying array of colors and arrangements, all stunningly beautiful, and all perfectly displayed.

She walked slowly into the room, feeling as though she'd walked into a dream. Yes, it was a cliché, all those flowers, but Selphie couldn't help but appreciate the effort put into it. She made her way over to the centerpiece of the display, by far the largest and most stunningly gorgeous of all the arrangements in the room. It sat regally in the center of the dining table, a double-dozen flawless red roses, elegant in the simplicity of its arrangement. An envelope on the table beneath leaned against the vase.

She knew it was addressed to her and she knew it was from Irvine, but her eyes remained dry until she read the message it contained. First of all, it wasn't just a note. It was a letter.

_Selphie, _she read, _if you're reading this, then you did come and I'm glad. I hope you like the flowers. I know, it's a cliché but I couldn't think of anything better. If you'll give me some time, I'm sure I could come up with something more creative. I know this doesn't even begin to make up for my mistakes, but I'm hoping that it'll at least prove that I'm trying. _

_I didn't reserve the room next door to you because I wanted to give you some space. I don't want to pressure you at all, but I do at least want to see you again. Whatever you decide with regards to us and our relationship is up to you, and how you feel, but please know that I love you. I always have and I always will. _

_If you'll let me, I'd like to spend the rest of my life proving it to you. _

Selphie froze, staring at that final line, tears trickling heedlessly down her cheeks. It implied something that Irvine had, until recently, shied away from even hinting at. Did he mean it? He had to. Even when he was playing the charming rogue, Irvine was never, ever, insincere.

The letter, the flowers, it all left the ball in her court. Irvine was letting her take the lead, that much was plain to see. Again, a major shift in his behavior; in the past, he'd done the exact opposite. Of course, in the past, it was harmless flirtation. This went way past that, and Irvine was smart enough to figure out it would take more than him simply charming her out of her anger.

So, what would her response be? Selphie's feelings still roiled between anger, betrayal, hurt and loneliness. Add the fact that she missed him; she still did love him, but her trust in him had been shattered and she didn't know if she could get past that. And there was one more thing that sat like a stone in the center of her heart.

_If he truly loved me, why did he wake up in bed with someone else?_

The moment that question crossed her mind; Selphie realized that was really the only thing she had to ask him. Everything else related back to it.

"Hey, Selphie, are you ready to…." Rinoa began, knocking at the open door, then stared at the room, mouth agape.

"Wow." She finished. Squall gave a low whistle, looking around at the room with interest.

"Impressive." He stated, then frowned as he noticed that Selphie had neither moved nor acknowledged them. He exchanged a worried look with Rinoa.

"Selphie?" Rinoa entered the room, picking up Selphie's forgotten bag and putting it on the couch, and continuing over to where she stood, face wet with tears.

"Honey, are you okay?" Rinoa asked, concerned. Selphie wiped her eyes and wordlessly handed Rinoa the letter. She quickly read it then drew Selphie into a tight embrace.

"Selphie, this is a _good_ thing." Rinoa whispered, rubbing her back.

"I know," Selphie said, choking back a sob, "but I'm so confused."

"I know sweetie, but hard as this is going to be, if you're looking for answers, the best way to get them is to talk with Irvine." Rinoa pulled back and gently took Selphie's face in her hands, wiping her tears away with her thumbs.

"Oh, honey, you look a mess," Rinoa said sympathetically looking around for something to wipe Selphie's face with. A white handkerchief appeared out of nowhere, dangling from Squall's hand.

"Thanks," she said, taking it from him and wiping Selphie's tears with it. Then she grabbed Selphie's hand and towed her toward the bathroom, grabbing her bag along the way.

"Let's get you fixed up." She said.

Squall waited, gazing around the room. He smiled slightly as he recognized some lilies and tulips that had obviously been brought in from Winhill. The season was just starting there and Winhill was known for its flower fields.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Rinoa to help Selphie repair the damage wrought by her tears, and they both emerged looking radiantly beautiful. Rinoa especially, but Squall was admittedly partial.

"Ladies," Squall prompted them, "shall we go? We're running late." They exchanged smiles and came up to either side of him and took an arm. Squall gave them each a puzzled look, then shrugged and went along with it, escorting them out of Selphie's room and down to the ballroom.

* * *

Irvine stood near the doorway to the ballroom, feeling a sudden attack of nerves send a fluttering legion of butterflies into his stomach. So far, everything looked great, the decorations, the refreshments, all of it top notch and decidedly classy. He had Selphie's influence to thank for that, she'd been as efficient as a drill sergeant in organizing and pulling off any number of Garden Festivals, Graduation Balls, Winter Formals and the like. What had surprised him was how much of that had rubbed off onto _him_.

The graduation ceremony itself was going to be fairly simple. The General and base commander would have their comments, and then Irvine himself would present the honors to the students. Then the party could start.

There would be no diplomas as such; it didn't seem appropriate for the training they had just completed. Instead, Irvine would present each student with an embroidered patch commemorating the training and the name that they'd coined for themselves as a group. They'd originally chosen "Irvine's Anacondaurs" but he talked them out of it, telling them that he was just an instructor, not their leader. So they'd shortened it, likening themselves to the stealthy yet deadly reptiles that inhabit the hills around Dollet.

Irvine was surprised to learn that the General and the base commander both had decided that they liked the idea and all of his newly trained snipers were in their own squad with the name they'd chosen for themselves. Forever more, they'd be known as The Anacondaurs. It gave them a certain mystique that fostered a communal pride within the group.

Irvine checked his watch and started to make his way to the front of the ballroom, nodding and smiling as some of his former students greeted him. He looked around for Squall, wondering what was keeping him. It wasn't like his Commander to be late to anything, much less something like this. He may dislike formal occasions intensely, but if he _had_ to go, he was certain to be punctual.

He'd just made it to the row of chairs behind the podium where he and the other dignitaries would be sitting when he saw Squall enter the ballroom escorting both Rinoa _and_ Selphie. Irvine simply stared, not quite believing his eyes. First of all, Squall had one girl on each arm, an incongruous image in itself. That alone was enough to shock Irvine, and he wasn't someone who shocked easily. And then there was Selphie… who looked amazing.

He realized he'd never seen her in a formal uniform. For any formal function that they'd attended in the past, Selphie had always opted to wear a formal gown rather than her dress _uniform_. She was SeeD. It was her right to do so if she so desired, and it was certainly appropriate in this case.

But she looked so… military. Strong, capable, and yes, beautiful, but she also looked cool and remote. Armored. It was as though by donning the uniform, Selphie had also taken on a personality vastly different from what he normally saw.

Irvine was shaken out of his stunned immobility by the general who greeted him and shook his hand, saying, "Good job again with your training Kinneas. Your trainees are already making an impact on the border. Any time you decide to leave SeeD, talk to me, I can get you a commission as high as full lieutenant if you signed up."

"Thank you sir, but I'm not from Dollet," Irvine started, but the general cut him off.

"We could work out the citizenship if you decided to come here." The general said dismissively, then he checked his watch, saying "looks like we'd better get started." He made his way to his seat, with Irvine following suit. Squall seated himself to Irvine's right soon after along with Rinoa.

As the general and then the colonel made their speeches, Irvine looked for Selphie and simply watched her for a moment, hoping that he'd get a chance to talk to her, perhaps even dance with her. She caught his eye and smiled sadly, then turned away. Irvine sighed, feeling less and less confident that he'd actually be able to say the right things, _do _the right things, to win her back.

All too soon, it was Irvine's turn to speak, and he took a deep breath to calm his fluttering nerves. He was normally fine with being the center of attention, but this was different. This wasn't just a party; he had to actually give a speech. He found that it scared him more than he thought it would.

Focusing his attention on the students, and their gathered friends and family, his gaze finally ended up on Selphie, and he calmed.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." He began, " I know this is was kind of short notice, but I didn't want to just train you all and then leave without so much as a word or anything to mark the conclusion of this course. Granted, it was only two weeks, but as these guys can attest to, it was an intensive two weeks. I was really impressed with all of you, and I have to admit that I learned more while teaching you than you probably learned from me." Irvine got out the patches, one for each of his students, and continued, "I don't have any diplomas or anything like that. I thought that uniform patches would be better. So, when I call out your name, come up and pick up your patch."

One by one, he read out the names, and as each person came up, gave them the patch and a handshake.

Once that was concluded, Irvine said, "congratulations, everyone. Give these guys a hand, they worked really hard." The gathered throng obligingly applauded the students.

"There's champagne and refreshments along the far wall and we'll start the party as soon as we get all these chairs and things moved out of the way." Irvine announced, and stepped away from the podium.

That was accomplished quickly, and as the music started up, Irvine was kept busy visiting with his students and in some cases, meeting their families.

Squall silently appeared next to him, with Rinoa at his side as always, and Irvine smiled slightly at them, "thanks for coming guys. And thanks also for bringing Selphie." Irvine's smile broadened as several of his students and their families descended upon them and Squall was suddenly busy with politely greeting each of them. Rinoa shared an amused smile with Irvine at Squall's thinly veiled exasperation.

"Did you see Zell and Quistis? They said they were coming." Squall asked when things calmed down. Irvine shook his head.

" I think I saw them sneak in just before Irvine started his speech." Rinoa commented, and then she slipped her arm around Squall's waist. A couple of young ladies detached themselves from the crowd and appeared determinedly headed toward them.

"I see more of your fans coming, should I rescue you?" Rinoa asked with an arch smile.

"Yes. _Please_." Squall answered her, shooting her a relieved look. Taking his hand, she towed him out toward the middle of the ballroom where some couples were already dancing.

Irvine wandered over to a waiter that was circulating through the ballroom with a tray of champagne, and took a fluted glass, sipping at it and looking for Selphie. He didn't see her and worried for a moment that she'd left already.

Then he saw her, dancing with Zell. It felt… odd, watching her with him. It took him a moment to pin down exactly why it bothered him and sent him into an increasing spiral of both anger and pain. It was jealousy. He shook his head, trying to deny what he felt. It was ridiculous. They were friends. It couldn't be anything more than that could it?

_Stop it! _He berated himself, _they're friends. ZELL is your friend. He wouldn't do what you're thinking. You're being an idiot. AGAIN._

Irvine took a deep breath and calmed himself, then sighed in relief as the song ended and Zell parted company with Selphie. Then he had to laugh quietly to himself as he saw Zell charming Sashi into a dance. It was obvious that Zell was there to have fun and dance with as many pretty girls as he could.

Draining his glass, he set it on a passing waiter's tray and made his way over to where Selphie stood, talking with one of his students.

Upon reaching her, he said softly, "Hi sweetie. Thank you for coming. I'd… I'd worried that you wouldn't."

Selphie turned to him and caught her breath. He'd been stealing her breath and occupying her thoughts the entire time that she'd been there, from the moment she saw him in his uniform. He looked… incredible.

The suit was perfectly tailored to his tall, lanky frame, his hair pulled back smoothly into its customary ponytail. He'd changed his earring, she noticed, to a simple gold stud. In a sea of uniformed officers in all of their splendor, in Selphie's eyes, Irvine outshone them all. Despite his immaculate grooming however, Selphie noticed how tired he looked, and how much leaner than normal he appeared. Thinking back to the night they'd returned from Dollet, she remembered noticing briefly that he'd lost weight. The trip had been harder on him physically than she'd thought.

"I almost didn't." Selphie said, then added, "thank you, by the way, for the flowers. And for reserving the room for me." He shrugged in response.

"I'm glad you came. You look beautiful." He replied, midnight blue eyes gleaming as he smiled at her.

Reaching down to take her hand, Irvine rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, asking, "would you care to dance with me?"

Selphie nodded in reply and smiled briefly at the person she'd been speaking with a moment ago, saying, "nice talking with you." Then she followed Irvine out to the dance floor.

They danced gracefully together as they always had, their bodies in perfect tune with the music and each other. Irvine for his part remained silent, not wanting to open his mouth and ruin the spell as they danced. He simply gave himself over to the feel of her in his arms again, the sparkle in her green eyes, brought out by the deep green of her dress uniform. He never knew how sexy she'd look in it. He swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing blood. The desire for her was always there, it would never go away. But he needed to control it or risk losing everything to an ill-timed advance.

_Restraint_. Something he'd never been very good at.

All too soon, the song ended, and the spell broke, at least momentarily. He stood still for a moment, in the middle of the dance floor, gazing down at Selphie. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and hold her close but looking into her eyes, and still seeing confusion, and pain mingled with the love he knew was there, caused him to hold back. Instead, he contented himself with squeezing her hands gently.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "Do you want something to drink? Champagne?" Selphie nodded and they went in search of a server. Irvine still held one of her hands lightly, not wanting to let go unless Selphie decided to end the contact. When they found one Irvine took two glasses and handed one to Selphie.

Tapping his glass lightly against hers, Irvine took a sip and Selphie followed suit, asking, "this is really nice, you put all of this together in just two days?"

"More or less." Irvine shrugged. It was a safe enough subject for now.

" I did have some help though, I couldn't do all of this on my own. The hotel stepped up wonderfully getting the ballroom prepared and decorated, providing the refreshment service and so on." He elaborated.

"It can't have been cheap." Selphie commented. Irvine shrugged. It hadn't been, but the bonus he'd earned from this last job more than covered it.

"It wasn't that bad." _The flowers cost more, _he thought. It was worth it though. He wished he could have seen her expression when she'd opened the door to her hotel room.

There was more, hanging in the air between them, unspoken. But the very public ballroom that they currently stood in was not the place for those things to be said.

"You look good in your uniform, by the way. You've got to be the best looking guy here," Selphie said, giving in to temptation and lightly stroking her hand down the breast of his coat, feeling the fine texture of the fabric and the warmth of the body beneath it. Irvine swallowed and let out a slow breath, trying not to react too obviously to her touch.

After regaining his equilibrium, Irvine snorted, "you're probably the only girl here that thinks that, going by the way they're all mooning over Squall."

"I don't know about that. I saw more than a few mooning over you too. You didn't notice?" Selphie asked, curious. Ordinarily Irvine would have been well aware of his effect on the opposite gender, and played it up to the hilt. Obviously, that was not the case tonight.

Irvine shook his head, "There's only one girl here that can command my undivided attention."

"Really?" Selphie asked archly, " and who might that be?"

"You have to ask?" Irvine asked, studying her intently.

"No, I guess not." She answered, dropping her eyes. Setting his half finished champagne aside, Irvine took Selphie's glass and did the same, regaining his hold on both of her hands in the process.

"Do you want to dance again? With me?" he asked her. She smiled up at him and nodded.

As they danced, Irvine reflected that while things were moving in a positive direction for the moment, it wouldn't take much for it to be derailed. So he would proceed cautiously and pay strict attention to Selphie and how she responded to him. He knew that they needed time together alone to talk and start to work on rebuilding their bond, if it was even possible. He was encouraged however in the fact that Selphie had shown up, and appeared to be happy to see him.

Just like him, she seemed to be purposely avoiding talking about anything that would touch on their relationship or the reason for their current rift. Perhaps for the same reason, they both wanted to enjoy the evening, if only for a little while. In Irvine's case, he wanted to see if there was any chance at all he could be forgiven, and the fact that she was willing to talk to him, and dance with him, gave him hope that all was not lost.

They danced until someone else decided to claim a dance from Selphie and Irvine politely if reluctantly relinquished her to her new partner.

After watching for a few minutes, Irvine decided that wasn't something he should be doing as he became increasingly uncomfortable with it. Why should it bother him now when it didn't in the past? First, the unexpected spark of anger when he saw her dancing with Zell, for crying out loud, then this perfect stranger that Selphie didn't know anything about was dancing with her. It shouldn't bother him. It _shouldn't_. But it did.

_Calm down, dammit she's just dancing with the guy, its not like she's going HOME with him…_ He stood frozen, eyes narrowed and arms crossed as his mind warred with his heart and he went back and forth from cool rationality to white-hot rage.

"Dude. You look like you want to kill something." Zell observed, eyebrows raised at Irvine's uncharacteristically dangerous expression.

Irvine shot him a glare and growled, "I need to get some air." Then he turned and strode from the room and out into the garden. Zell started to follow him but turned back to see what it was that had gotten Irvine all worked up.

He laughed quietly as he saw Selphie dancing with a young man and apparently having fun doing so.

"Shoe's on the other foot, eh buddy?" Zell said softly to himself. He decided against following Irvine. He needed to work through this on his own.

* * *

Irvine leaned on his elbows against the stone balustrade that framed the garden, and took a deep breath. He inhaled deeply the salt-tinged sea air and the perfume from the flowers that grew in a riot of color along the walkway leading from the ballroom; releasing his breath slowly, he willed his tension to go with it. The evening air was cool and helped Irvine to get a grip on himself. He was so wound up; he actually wished he still smoked. It would distract him a little bit from his thoughts. Instead, he contented himself with watching the moonrise over the surf.

The hell of it was there was no reason for him to be this upset. Selphie was just dancing and having fun. It wasn't like she was actually _flirting_ with the guy.

Not like _he_ would have, had their positions been reversed.

One thing for certain was that she didn't deserve his anger. And he wasn't angry with_ her_, he was angry with himself. He was a fool. A selfish damned fool.

He would have, in the past, been out there dancing and flirting with every pretty girl he saw, not giving a single thought to how Selphie would feel about it. Sometimes, yeah, she'd get after him for it and he was so pig-headed he would think _she _was the one with the problem. It was no wonder they got into so many fights. The _true_ wonder was that she put up with his bullshit at all.

Maybe she was better off without him. Maybe. But he just couldn't let her go unless his cause was well and truly lost.

"I'd wondered where you'd gone off to." Said a voice behind him. Selphie. Irvine turned and leaned back against the low wall, facing her.

"Hi sweetie. I needed some fresh air, it was getting a little hot in there." He answered truthfully.

She approached him slowly, then slid her arms around his waist and held him tightly in a hug. His breath left him momentarily and his arms came around her, reciprocating the hug and fighting the urge to crush her in the process. He stroked her hair gently, closed his eyes and just breathed in her scent, not wanting the moment to end.

"I need to ask you a question." She said softly, pulling back and gazing up at him.

Irvine dropped his arms slowly, trailing his hands down Selphie's arms to her hands, squeezing them gently before dropping his hands to his sides. He swallowed, stomach starting to knot up with tension. He had an idea what she wanted to ask, and he knew he couldn't answer her question. But he'd try. It was the best he could do.

"Okay." He sighed, leaning back against the wall, watching her.

She bit her lip and took a shaky breath, then asked, "Why? If you love me as much as you say you do, why?"

He tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. The only thing he could do is tell the truth and hope it was enough. The only problem was, even _he_ didn't know the answer to that question.

"Before I answer that, I need to tell you something." He began, gazing down at her again.

"I'm not telling you this because I think it excuses what I did. But it might explain at least part of it. Anyway, here it is: the beer they brew here is.. Different. It has twice the alcohol content of beer brewed in Balamb or Galbadia. I drank more than I intended without realizing it." He paused and met Selphie's eyes. Her guarded expression didn't offer much encouragement and Irvine swallowed, hoping he didn't just totally blow it for good. He needed her to know everything though, everything he knew at any rate, so that she could decide for herself if he was worth keeping around.

Looking away from her, he said in a low voice, "I didn't have sex with Jenna. I passed out before I could. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't have if that hadn't happened. I spent the last week, especially these last two days, asking myself the same question you just asked me and I couldn't come up with an answer. I don't remember much about that night, and I certainly don't remember what may have led me to do that. The only thing that makes sense is maybe I was just so drunk I wasn't thinking anymore, just feeling."

He dropped his gaze to his feet, crossing his arms across his chest tightly, trying to hold himself together as he fought through the rest of it and faced the end result.

"I just want to be perfectly clear on one thing though. It wasn't anything you did or didn't do that caused me to do that. It was all me. I'll…" he paused, and swallowed again. God, this was killing him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried again, "If.. if you don't feel like… like you can forgive me, I'll understand. But, if there's anything I can do to convince you not to give up on me, on _us_, please, tell me." Silence. A shaft of pain speared through his heart, and Irvine raised his eyes to see if he'd gambled and lost for good.

Selphie still stood silently watching him, eyes shining with unshed tears. As he watched, she blinked and a tear coursed down one cheek, leaving a wet trail that gleamed in the moonlight. He wanted to wipe it away, kiss her, hold her, make everything right again. He just didn't think he could.

She raised her hand and wiped it away, sniffling.

Finally, she took a shaky breath and asked, "Did you mean it? What you wrote in that letter?"

"Yes. Every word." He answered.

Selphie studied him, mind and heart still reeling with the emotions that assailed her at his revelations. He _hadn't_ actually done what she thought he'd done, but only because fate had intervened. That he loved her was plain. But could she trust him anymore? How could she? Still, in the past, Irvine wouldn't have put _this_ much effort into what may be a lost cause. Yes, he would have pleaded, begged, and charmed her out of her ire in the past but if she was truly fed up with him he would have retreated and gone back to his usual habits. Again, the reason for their on again, off again relationship.

This oddly cautious persistence on his part was new. Also new was the mere _idea_ that he might be considering something… Permanent, in their relationship. Commitment was ordinarily something that would terrify the normally fearless sniper.

As her silence continued, Selphie watched as Irvine, apparently thinking he'd lost in his bid for forgiveness, appeared to deflate. He looked away and as he did, his face, which had been in shadow up to that moment, was illuminated by the moonlight. Selphie saw, gleaming in the dim light, the shining track of a single tear on his cheek, and she was completely undone.

All this time, in the shadows, he'd been weeping silent tears for her. Something he'd never done before.

She reached up and gently wiped it away, stroking his cheek as she did. He turned back to her, surprised, hardly daring to hope. When she wrapped her arms around him again, he felt such a sense of relief he was nearly shaking with it. This time, he didn't fight the urge to hug her as tightly as he could.

"Selphie…" he whispered.

"It still hurts, what you did." She whispered back.

"I know baby. I'm so sorry. If I could take it back, I would in a heartbeat." He said softly. He pulled back and looked down into her face, wiping away the tears that continued to slide down her cheeks.

"I never realized how much I was hurting you by just going out and flirting. I know it made you mad, but I never really knew how it _felt_. Not until I saw you dancing and having a good time with that guy and I got just a tiny taste of it. It was the worst thing I'd ever felt. And the thought that I might have lost you for good just about destroyed me. I don't think I could handle seeing you with someone else." He admitted.

"How can I trust you anymore? Once that's gone Irvine, its really hard to get it back." Selphie said shakily.

"I know. Just take it one day at a time I guess. And I'll certainly do my damndest to rebuild that trust." He replied.

She burrowed closer, leaning her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and whispered, "I still love you, but its gonna take awhile for me to get to the forgiving part."

"Take all the time you need honey." Irvine replied, gently kissing the top of her head.


	9. Chapter 9: Friends Like These

Chapter 9: Friends Like These…

Irvine walked into the gym to meet Zell for his weekly sparring match and stopped, groaning. Zell leaned against a corner post in the ring, casually chatting with Squall, who stood on the apron outside of it, holding onto the top rope. _Both_ were wearing their sparring equipment.

"I was _really_ hoping you were kidding about the tag-team thing, Zell." Irvine said, setting his gear bag down.

Zell laughed and exchanged a grin with Squall.

"Well, I _was_," Zell answered, "but then I got to thinking. So I called Squall up and he agreed to come."

"I hate you." Irvine said.

Squall chuckled, "Relax, Irvine. We're not tag-teaming you. It turns out, Zell wants us to tag-team _him_."

Scratching his head, Irvine looked from Squall to Zell and asked, "Um, okay. Why?"

"Okay, this is going to sound really arrogant, but it's the literal truth. Nobody here can last more than five minutes in the ring with me. That's just not long enough to give me a real good workout. So, I figure the two of you ought to be enough to do it." Zell answered.

Irvine shook his head and asked Squall, "Is he kidding?"

"No. It's true. I can't find a single senior SeeD willing to spar with Zell." Squall answered.

"Gotta stay sharp if I'm gonna win that tournament, and you guys are the only ones here with the balls to step up and help me. So suit up Irvine and show me what you got." Zell said, bouncing on his toes eagerly.

"Okay. I guess we've got balls, Squall." Irvine said, pulling on his sparring gloves and getting his headgear.

"Nice to know that." Squall answered, getting into the ring and warming up.

"Get warmed up Irvine." Zell called out, then he said to Squall, "Tag out when you want a break." Squall nodded and put in his mouthpiece.

"Hey, who's timekeeper?" Irvine asked.

Zell shrugged, "whoever isn't getting punched I guess. So it's you for now, and when Squall tags out it's him."

"Okay then," Irvine said, finishing his warm up and getting up onto the apron next to the bell.

"Ya'll ready?" he drawled. At their nods, he rang the bell.

Zell came at Squall with a flurry of punches that Squall, who was easily as agile as Zell, either avoided or blocked. Then he went on the attack, throwing out two quick jabs and a reverse punch to the middle. Zell blocked the two high punches but Squall connected solidly with Zell's middle.

Zell fired back with a ferocious series of punches that Squall only just managed to block but they backed him up across the ring. In desperation, he fended Zell off with a front kick to the middle and a high roundhouse kick to the head, which Zell blocked. It unfortunately left Squall open to a sweep and takedown that Zell employed with brutal efficiency.

They wrestled on the mat in a tangle of arms and legs, Zell striving mightily for a submission hold, and Squall struggling desperately to avoid it. Finally, in a catlike twist, Squall managed to fling Zell off and jumped to his feet, firing two kicks and a good solid punch to Zell's jaw.

Irvine checked his watch and saw that it was time to ring the bell and end the round, and he did so.

"You want me to tag in?" Irvine asked when Squall approached. Squall shrugged. The running he'd done while training for the marathon had gotten him dead fit, so while he was hot and sweaty from the bout, he was still breathing easily. He could go several more rounds if he wanted to.

"Up to you," he answered, taking a drink from his water bottle.

"Might as well." Irvine said. Squall nodded and ducked under the top rope. Irvine took his place in the ring, dancing and making sure he was properly warmed up and ready before Squall rang the bell for the next round.

And he _was_ ready. He immediately avoided Zell's first attack and went right for a roundhouse crescent kick combo, missing with the first one but hitting Zell solidly in the ribs with the second. Then, dancing away from Zell's answering front and side kicks, Irvine shifted inside Zell's guard, and nailed him with a good uppercut and jab combo. He pressed his advantage, careful to keep his guard up, landing another low reverse punch to the midsection and hook punch to the jaw.

He was a hair too slow bringing his guard back up though and Zell saw it. With lightning quick speed he slipped a jab through Irvine's guard and caught him square on the chin. It rocked Irvine's head back and he had to back up a second to regroup. It was just for a split second, but for Zell it was enough. A fierce barrage of punches and kicks left Irvine staggering and trying valiantly to block and avoid them. He was only partially successful.

In the week since his last, pathetic bout with Zell, Irvine had regained _some_ of his strength, but he was still far from completely fit. It was only minutes into this round and Irvine's lungs were burning and sweat was streaming into his eyes. Zell's last attack had left him reeling and Irvine knew he was going down if he got hit again, so he changed tactics.

He came at Zell in an all out attack, faking a punch to the face, hitting Zell in the middle with a solid punch and sweeping him off of his feet. As Zell fell back, Irvine pounced on him and grappled for a joint-lock submission hold. He almost had it, but Zell eeled out of it and reversed it on him, wrapping his arm around Irvine's neck in a painful choke. With Zell's forearm just putting enough pressure against Irvine's windpipe for it to interfere with his breathing, Irvine had no choice but to tap out. The bell rang, ending the round at virtually the same moment.

Untangling himself from Zell, Irvine stood up, rubbing at his throat, and retreated back to where Squall stood, watching the proceedings with interest.

"You did better this time," Zell commented, panting and downing some water.

"Not by much." Irvine gasped ruefully, taking a drink of his own.

Ducking back under the rope, Irvine said to Squall, "Your turn, O fearless one."

"Whatever." Squall said with a snort.

After over an hour of this, Zell pronounced the experiment a success and happily made plans for the same thing the following week.

Irvine, who by this point was literally reeling with exhaustion, commented, "I'm about to fall over and Zell's still bouncing off the walls. No wonder he needed the both of us to spar with."

"Oh, I don't know, I think we managed to get him a _little_ tired." Squall replied, leaning on the top rope, towel around his neck. Even as fit as he was, an hour or so of sparring, on top of the fifteen mile run he'd done that morning, had left him feeling as drained as Irvine appeared.

"Hey, you guys up for another round?" Zell asked, still dancing.

Irvine and Squall both groaned in unison and Irvine said, "We're done."

"Yeah. If you want to get _really_ tired Zell, do this _after_ you've run fifteen miles." Squall said, wiping his face off.

Zell looked thoughtful, "now, that actually sounds like a good idea…" Irvine rolled his eyes and Squall shook his head.

"I'm gonna hit the showers." Irvine said, grabbing up his duffel bag and heading for the locker room.

"Me too." Squall said, following him. Behind them, they heard Zell start working the heavy bag with single-minded determination.

"Doesn't he ever stop?" Irvine asked, incredulous.

"No." Squall said, shaking his head.

"Well, if he doesn't win that tournament, it won't be for lack of training. He's almost as obsessed as you are." Irvine said.

"_Almost_?" Squall said, eyebrows raised.

"You're right. You actually take a few minutes to do other things like eat, sleep, do paperwork… you even manage to fit your wife in there. Somewhere." Irvine grinned.

"Watch it cowboy. I could still kick your ass you know." Squall said, shoving Irvine's shoulder.

Irvine chuckled, "Right now, your sister _Ellone_ could kick my ass."

"She probably could. Wuss." Squall grinned, opening his locker to grab a towel and change of clothing.

"Dick." Irvine said, returning the good-natured insult before stripping down and ducking into the shower.

Later, as they were leaving the gym, Irvine asked Squall, "so what's on the agenda today?"

"Do you really want to know or are you just making idle conversation?" Squall replied with a slightly sour expression.

"A bit of both, actually." Irvine said.

Squall shrugged, "Well, let's see… " He checked his watch, "I guess I'll eat lunch, and after that, head in to work for a few hours and deal with my ever-present stack of paperwork. I've taken over training the gunbladers among the senior cadets, so after I've dealt with my paperwork I'm going to be doing that until probably dinnertime. Then it's back to work for a few more hours to try and catch up on anything that can't wait until tomorrow, and _then_ I'll go home. The rest is none of your business." Irvine shook his head. The man never had an idle moment.

"_You're_ training the gunbladers? Since when?" Irvine asked, surprised.

"Since I find myself in the same position as Zell. The only other competent gunblader here is Seifer. And we can only train together so much before we both want to kill each other. So, in the interest of keeping both our hides and our sanity intact, Seifer and I alternate teaching the senior cadets." Squall answered.

"How does that help you train? I don't get it." Irvine asked, puzzled.

"Gunblade _fencing_ isn't the same as actually fighting with it. It's all about technique and control, not brute force. The best way to refine your techniques and get better control is to teach it to someone else, as you well know." Squall replied, then he added, "we do get together every other day or so to spar, but we usually have Fujin and Rinoa there with us. Fujin acts as referee and Rinoa's there to cast regen or cure magic on us."

"You guys _do_ know you're on the same team, right?" Irvine said with a smirk.

Squall snorted, "_I_ know. I sometimes wonder about Seifer."

"Well, I'm gonna go put my stuff away and see if I can convince Selphie to go to lunch with me in Balamb." Irvine said, shouldering his sports bag.

"Things going better for you?" Squall asked.

Irvine shrugged, "they're improving. But we're not out of the woods yet."

"Well, good luck with that." Squall said. Then he frowned. It sounded lame and unconcerned, and he was anything but that. But discussing stuff like that made him uncomfortable.

"Thanks," _I need all the help I can get_, Irvine thought, heading toward his room.

"Talk to you later," Squall said.

* * *

Irvine knocked on the door to Selphie's room, hoping she was there. He suddenly realized he had no idea what she did during the day while he was busy with his own concerns. He'd known her long enough that he _should_ know, and yet, he didn't. He found that.. Disturbing. Did he take her that much for granted that he couldn't be bothered to show an interest in her activities?

She opened it and gave him a happy smile, "Hey Irvy! What's up?" He grinned in response. While things were still fragile between them, she seemed to have recovered her positive outlook and exuberance.

"Hi sweetie. Just wondering if you wanted to go into Balamb for lunch with me today. Are you busy?" He asked, leaning against the doorway, smiling.

"Not so busy I can't take off for a little bit." She answered, putting some books and assorted papers away and grabbing her purse and keys.

"What were you working on?" Irvine asked, curious.

"Technical specs for the Ragnarok. I've already qualified for atmospheric flight, but I'm trying to get certified for sub-orbital. The test is next month in Esthar at the Airstation." She answered, approaching Irvine and wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug.

He hugged her back, saying, "_Seriously_? Sub-orbital? So, what is that, like outer space or something?"

"Close, but not exactly. You leave the atmospheric envelope briefly but come right back down. You don't go into orbit or leave the planet entirely. Once I qualify for that and get enough hours in, I can go for orbital flight." She answered.

She locked her door and snuggled under Irvine's arm as they headed toward the garage and his truck.

"Wow." He said, amazed, adding, "I'm unbelievably turned on right now."

Selphie laughed, poking his side, "you are not!" He flinched, chuckling.

"OH, yes I am! You know I have a thing for brainy girls." He stopped and pulled her close, gazing down at her.

"Actually, I just have a thing for one _particular_ brainy girl," He murmured, kissing her and pressing her close against him.

"Wow, I guess you really are turned on," she said breathlessly, feeling exactly _how_ excited he was.

"Yeah, the thought that you might be able to _literally_ take me into orbit just blows my mind." He said, kissing her again. He lingered over it, kissing her slowly and deeply, losing himself in the moment before remembering the reason he'd come for her in the first place. He pulled back and took a deep breath, trying to calm his ardor. Part of him wanted to forget about lunch and head back her room to satisfy a different type of hunger, but he wasn't sure Selphie was ready for that yet.

He worried that he'd pushed things a bit, kissing her like that, but she didn't seem to mind, so he was encouraged. But anything more intimate was going to take awhile to work up to as Selphie and he worked through their current snag. Besides, as difficult as it was for him to do without, it did help him focus on something other than the physical aspects of their relationship. But denying his sensual nature was tough to do.

Clearing his throat, he said, "let's go get lunch."

He took her hand as they continued toward the garage.

"So, what are you in the mood for?" Irvine asked Selphie, smiling at her distracted expression.

"hmmm? Oh, I don't know… sushi?" she shrugged, getting into the passenger side of the truck.

"Sushi it is then." Irvine got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

They arrived in Balamb a few minutes later, and walked toward a little dockside restaurant that specialized in fresh seafood. As Balamb's main industry was fishing, there were plenty of such places to choose from, but this particular establishment was known for its unique method of preparing the catch of the day.

Selphie had sampled the delicacy called sushi once before and had fallen in love with it. Irvine didn't mind it, but he preferred steak when given a choice.

After they'd seated themselves and ordered their meals, Selphie asked, "So how was your morning?"

"Exhausting." Irvine answered. "Squall and I spent an hour getting our asses handed to us by Zell. Apparently, we're the only guys in Garden with the balls, _or_ lack of brains, to go up against him on a regular basis."

Selphie laughed, "I wish I'd have seen that, it would have been fun to watch."

Irvine snorted, "fun for _you_ maybe. At least Zell wasn't trying to kill me this time."

Selphie looked puzzled, "why would Zell want to kill you?"

Irvine shrugged, "I pissed him off." He didn't elaborate. It wasn't necessary. What had occurred was personal between Zell and himself, and he didn't feel like discussing it with Selphie at the moment. Even though it had concerned her, he wasn't sure she would have understood completely the reasoning behind it.

"Well, at least Zell's got you two to help him shape up for the games. That's something at least." Selphie said, then she asked, "How's that going for you by the way?"

"Pretty well. I usually spend at least a couple of hours every day up at the gun range working the maze and the precision course. I want to see if I can get to Galbadia Garden's range again at least two more times before the games start so I can get some _real_ long range shots in and fine tune my aim a little more." He answered.

Their lunch arrived moments later and Irvine started on his noodle soup while Selphie happily dug into her sushi. Irvine slyly snuck one of her rolls and popped it into his mouth, grinning at her affronted expression.

"Hey!" Selphie glared at him, "next time you'll lose an appendage, buddy." She brandished her fork to illustrate her point.

"Sorry sweetie," Irvine said unapologetically, smiling at her. He couldn't help the urge to tease her once in a while; she was just so cute when she was irritated.

"So, are you back to the books after lunch?" He asked.

Selphie shrugged, "for a little bit anyway, why?"

"You want to come up to the shooting range with me this afternoon?" he asked. Okay, it was lame to ask Selphie to the gun range, but hey, she knew what he was about. At least, Irvine _hoped_ she knew. The _point_ was he wanted her company.

Selphie looked thoughtful for a moment, considering, then nodded, "Okay. It'd be kind of fun to see how good a shot I am."

"Great, I'll pick you up at two. Sound good?" he asked.

Selphie nodded, "sure."

Irvine smiled at her and finished his lunch. She'd worn a pretty yellow daisy barrette to pull her hair back on one side, and was casually dressed in jean shorts and a white t-shirt. She looked, in his opinion, adorable.

"You ready to go?" he asked her. At her nod, he got up, paid the bill and captured her hand as they left the restaurant. He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her cheek while they walked toward his truck and she smiled brightly at him.

"You look really cute today." He commented.

Selphie smiled and squeezed his hand, saying, "So do you." He shrugged. In addition to his ubiquitous cowboy hat, he had on a well-worn pair of slim-fitting jeans, his favorite gray t-shirt and his boots. He'd dressed for comfort mostly, but he had to admit it looked decent at least. _Cute_, for him anyway, was a bit of a stretch though.

"I don't know about that. _Cute_ doesn't actually apply to me, does it?" Irvine asked, adding, "sounds like you want to start braiding ribbons in my hair or something." Selphie laughed.

"Nah, on second thought, no. Cute isn't the right word. More like…hot. Handsome. Sexy. _Definitely_ sexy." Selphie said, smiling smugly.

When the reached his truck, Irvine gallantly opened the passenger door for Selphie, and leaned in to steal another kiss, saying, "I agree with the sexy part, one hundred percent. But if you keep talking like that, we're gonna have a problem. Or at least _I _am."

"Oh, really?" she said with an arch smile. She knew exactly what Irvine was hinting at and knew she was playing with fire, teasing him like that. She found that she didn't care. Maybe she wanted to live a little dangerously. He'd been very sweet, and patient, while she'd been working through the hurt she'd been feeling. She knew he'd been feeling deprived, but to his credit, he had made a concerted effort to give her the space she needed.

She was beginning to miss their intimacy as much as Irvine obviously did.

He stood patiently, holding onto the door, apparently waiting for her to step up into the cab of his truck so he could shut it and go over to the other side. Greatly daring, she reached up and slid both hands behind his neck and pulled him into a breath-stealing kiss.

Irvine responded with a low growl and pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her pressing her hard against him, deepening the kiss until they were both gasping for air. He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, taking in the moment. Bringing his hands up, he ran his fingers through her hair and cradled her face in his hands, kissing her gently again.

"I need to get you back, don't I?" he murmured vaguely, still kissing her.

"Yeah. We can't keep doing this _here_…"Selphie answered, breathless. Irvine pulled back from her, groaning softly.

"I'm not trying to push you sweetie, but…" he cleared his throat and went over to the driver's side of his truck and got in. _Carefully_. Selphie followed suit, body still humming from that short but intense make-out session.

Letting a breath out and trying to retrieve his scattered wits (_and_ calm his now painful arousal), Irvine said, "I would _love_ to continue that _somewhere_."

"Then take me home." Selphie said simply. Irvine studied her for a moment in silence.

"Are you _sure_?" He asked, carefully. He wanted her, needed her like he needed his next breath, but not if she wasn't completely sure that she wanted _him_.

"Yes." She answered.

"What about your studies?" Irvine asked, concerned. He wasn't trying to talk her _out_ of…whatever, but he also didn't want to interfere with what she'd been working on.

"They can wait. Now, shut up and take me home, stud, before I change my mind." Selphie ordered.

Grinning widely, Irvine gave her a salute and answered, "Yes ma'am!"

It was all Irvine could do to concentrate on getting them both back to Garden in one piece.


	10. Chapter 10:Who Needs Enemies?

Chapter 10: …Who Needs Enemies?

The ringing of a telephone woke Irvine up from the best dream he'd ever had in his life. Unfortunately, the abrupt awakening caused him to forget it immediately, leaving only a vague feeling of contentment behind. Blinking sleep from his eyes, Irvine felt around for the handset and answered it, rolling over onto his back and yawning.

" 'lo," he grunted. Upon hearing his voice, Selphie, still sleeping soundly next to him, stirred and Irvine smiled softly and reached out to stroke her hair.

On the other end of the line, Squall's voice said, "Irvine, I need you and Selphie. Is she there with you?"

Clearing his throat, Irvine answered, "Yeah. What do you need at frickin' 6am on a Saturday?"

"We got an emergency call from DCPD. They need a sniper and the only trained person they have was just injured in a firefight." Squall answered. Irvine sighed.

"Okay. Give us a few minutes to get ready and we'll meet you out at the Ragnarok." Yawning, Irvine disconnected, then rolled over and shook Selphie awake.

"C'mon sweetie, duty calls." He leaned over and gave her a kiss and rolled out of bed.

Blinking blearily at him, Selphie asked, "Was that Squall?"

"Yup. We've got work to do baby. Wanna share a shower with me?" Irvine replied, taking Selphie's hand and helping her out of bed. She snuggled up to him in a sensuously cuddly hug, and Irvine hugged her back, smoothing his hands up and down her back before giving her a smart smack on her bare backside, causing her to jump.

"No fair distracting me. Shower time. Now." He said firmly. Then he grinned, his authoritative manner momentarily discarded for another quick kiss.

Despite the obvious temptation afforded by having Selphie in the shower with him, Irvine managed (regretfully) to keep the shenanigans to a minimum. Oh, there was a _little_ foolishness, but only a little.

They were showered and dressed and waiting by the Ragnarok in far less time than either of them had thought was possible. In fact, they made it there even before Squall did.

Irvine yawned widely and stretched as Squall approached, still waking up. He dropped his arm around Selphie's shoulders and wordlessly followed Squall into the Ragnarok.

As Selphie seated herself in the pilot's chair, Irvine stationed himself behind her and turned to Squall, saying, "So, what's the scenario? Deling City P.D. needs a sniper, so I'm guessing a hostage situation of some sort?"

"Yeah, bank robbery gone bad. Really, _really_ bad." Squall answered.

Irvine frowned, "_how_ bad?"

"Two hostages dead in a failed assault on the bank. Three special ops personnel killed and two injured, including their only sniper." Squall answered.

"How'd the sniper get shot? He shouldn't have been anywhere _near_ the assault." Irvine asked.

Squall shrugged, "they didn't give me any details, but I gathered that either they weren't aware of that or they needed an extra gun in the assault. Either way, they need a sniper, and SeeD has agreed to help anytime any local police units need a hand."

"So, this is community service we're doing?" Irvine asked, curious. He'd lend a hand regardless, but it would be nice to actually be paid for it.

"Kind of. We have an agreement with Galbadia's president. The police call, we answer, and the government picks up the tab." Squall answered.

"Didn't Galbadia Garden have any snipers available?" Irvine asked.

"No. You're the only sniper currently not on assignment." Squall answered.

"How many targets?" Irvine asked, going into professional mode.

Squall shrugged, "They weren't completely sure, but they think there are three of them."

Irvine nodded, face going grim. Squall had seen that look before, what he privately called "Irvine's Game Face". Being who and what they were, each of them had a variation of that cold, hard, _focused _expression. Irvine was mentally preparing himself to do his job, take out his assigned targets and end the standoff.

They arrived in Deling City a few minutes later, meeting the Chief of Police just outside the city proper where they'd landed the Ragnarok. All three of them were escorted to the staging area where local police had set up a command post.

From that vantage, Irvine could see the interior of the bank, and could clearly make out the hostages and at least two of the suspects. He listened with half an ear as the incident commander briefed him, gazing around at the buildings surrounding the bank, looking for the best angle from which to take his shot.

"Do you have some clear photos or video stills of the targets?" Irvine asked in a remote voice.

The incident commander studied the young SeeD. Both he and his equally young commanding officer were stone-faced and cold-eyed. Professional killers. He'd seen their type before. He had little doubt that as soon as he gave the order, the sniper would pull the trigger without a second thought.

That bothered him a little. The perpetrators didn't necessarily _have_ to die, not if the negotiator could talk them down. The poor fools had committed a crime and gotten backed into a corner, into a situation that had simply gone from bad to worse. He could see the human side of the situation, but to the mercenary, they were simply "targets". Perhaps that was the only way the young man could do his job effectively. He hoped so.

"Here." The officer handed Irvine a sheaf of papers, printed stills from the bank's video surveillance cameras.

He studied the pictures carefully. Three targets. The quality of the images was actually pretty good, but details were hard to make out. The men had attempted to disguise themselves, using sunglasses, hats, wigs, and in one case, a ski mask. _If these guys were smart, they'd find a way to take all that stuff off and try to blend in with the hostages. Since we don't have a good picture of what they really look like, it would be hard to take a shot at them without being 100% sure they were the criminals and not one of the hostages, _Irvine thought.

He turned back to the incident commander and asked, "any particular place you want me to be or do I get to pick my spot?"

"Whatever works for you is fine." The man answered. Irvine nodded and took the communicator the officer handed him.

Turning to Selphie and Squall, Irvine said, "this might take awhile, so you can go home if you want. I'll call you if I need a ride back."

Squall nodded, and Selphie wrapped her arms around Irvine in a tight hug. He bent down and gave her a lingering kiss, whispering, "I'll talk to you later. Love you sweetie." He watched them leave silently, then shouldered his ammo bag and picked up his rifle case. Tugging his hat down over his eyes, he strode toward the building he'd decided afforded him the best view of the bank and the people within it.

The incident commander watched the sniper leave with a slight smile. The young man's stony-faced manner had softened when he'd spoken with the young woman who'd accompanied him, giving her a gentle kiss before sending her and his commander on their way. So he was human after all. He found that fact reassuring. Then he frowned, realizing that he didn't even know the SeeD's name.

* * *

Irvine surveyed the rooftop he'd chosen; satisfied at the good, clear view he had directly into the bank. Putting the earpiece in, Irvine turned on the communicator and knelt down to open up his rifle case and began putting his weapon together. Static crackled in the earpiece and Irvine cringed and turned down the volume.

"SeeD sniper, do you copy?" a voice said.

"I copy. Name's Irvine Kinneas, by the way." Irvine answered.

" Sergeant James Roberts." Came the answer, then, "are you set up yet?"

"Just about," Irvine answered, loading his rifle and settling the bipod supported barrel on the edge of the rooftop. He settled himself into as comfortable a position as he could and peered through the scope toward the bank.

"Ready." He said. He sighted in on one of the individuals that looked like he might be the leader of the gang. He appeared to be speaking on a telephone while aiming a handgun at a woman's head. Scanning the rest of the scene, he saw the other two targets, both within easy range. He could take out all three of them in mere seconds once the order to shoot was given. Of course, there was always the danger that the man's trigger finger would squeeze involuntarily when the bullet went through his brain and inadvertently kill his hostage in the process.

"The person on the phone talking, that's the leader?" Irvine asked sergeant Roberts.

"Yes." Came the answer.

"I've got a clear shot at him and the other two, but he's got a gun right up against a woman's head. There's a risk he could get a shot off before he's dead." Irvine observed.

"We're negotiating the woman's release. Sit tight Kinneas." Roberts answered.

"Copy that." Irvine responded and continued watching the scene through his scope. He knew he could be up there for hours, watching. Situations like this nearly always dragged on and on. For the next forty-five minutes he watched the bank and the suspects closely, waiting for word from the incident commander. Once in awhile he had to pull his eyes away from the scope and close them for a moment to give them a rest, otherwise he'd get a headache from the eyestrain.

He checked his watch briefly. They'd left at just before 7am Balamb time, and arrived at about 9:30am Galbadian time. It was nearly 11am local time now, and it was starting to get hot already.

Galbadia was in full summer now, and it could get very hot indeed, particularly when sitting exposed on a rooftop with no shade. He took a long drink from a bottle of water he'd brought, hoping he wouldn't be up on the rooftop for _too_ long. He'd sat out sieges like this for six hours and more, but it was never fun, nor was it comfortable.

"Kinneas." Sergeant Roberts' voice said.

"Copy." Irvine responded. He was back to watching the tableau in the bank, and there didn't seem to be much progress happening. The leader appeared agitated, shouting into the handset of the phone. The other two subjects seemed nervous, edgy. Things looked to be coming to a head soon.

"Negotiations are stalled. How's the situation look from your angle?" the incident commander asked.

"The leader appears agitated and the others are nervous. He seems to be more focused on shouting at the phone than on his hostage." Irvine answered.

"Can you get all three of them?" Sergeant Roberts asked, sounding doubtful.

Irvine narrowed his eyes and considered the placement of the three targets. Phone-shouting guy would have to be first, since he still held a gun on a hostage, although he didn't appear to be paying much attention to her at the moment. The next target would be the man nearest the leader of the gang, and the last would be the man farthest from those two. He ran over the order in his mind, shifting his scope from one target to the next, mentally calculating muzzle velocity, bullet size and weight and the amount of powder in each shell, and deciding that yes, he could do it.

"I could have all three down in a heartbeat." Irvine answered confidently. He had loaded the cartridges himself and he knew to the grain the exact amount of gunpowder each had and from there knew how fast they'd fly. All three men would be dead before they even heard the shots.

There was silence from the other end of the link before the officer in charge sighed audibly and said, "Do it. Take 'em out."

As soon as he heard the order, Irvine fired off three shots in quick succession.

_BANG! _

Phone guy went down. Irvine didn't even watch to see if his shot hit. He knew it had. As soon as he fired off that first shot, Irvine was adjusting his aim to the next target.

_BANG!_

Target number two eliminated.

_BANG! _

Target number three down.

Irvine let out a slow breath and watched through the scope at the scene below. All three targets were downed in less than two seconds. Police boiled out of the barricades and swarmed into the building and hostages ran out in a blind panic. Chaos reigned for a few moments while the police worked at bringing the situation under control. Then he frowned, taking note of a car parked on a side street not far from the bank.

Swinging his rifle over to focus on the car, he saw that it was occupied. A shadowy figure sat low down in the driver's seat, and try as he might, Irvine could not make out any more detail than that, despite the high-powered optics he employed. The car was definitely occupied however, and Irvine thought, _there were three in the bank, but there's almost always a wheel man outside.._

"Sergeant Roberts. There's an occupied car parked on a side street northeast of the bank." Irvine reported.

Silence. Then, "Which street? We'll check it out." Irvine gave him directions to the car's location. It didn't hurt that he'd actually _lived_ there before and knew the street names.

The officer noticed this and commented, "You seem awfully familiar with the area."

"I used to live here before I transferred to Balamb." Irvine answered, still watching the car. He saw the police special unit cautiously approach, staying low and using parked vehicles as cover. The driver, apparently seeing that the gig was up, raised both hands and tossed a high-powered rifle out of the driver's side window. Several police officers swarmed the car, aiming their weapons at the man inside. He was roughly pulled from the car and placed facedown on the ground as the arresting officer cuffed him.

"They've got him." Irvine said.

"Looks like you're done for the day then, Kinneas." Sergeant Roberts said.

Irvine began taking his rifle apart and returning it to its case. Before finally stowing the main body of the weapon, he took a few seconds and ran a cleaning rod through the barrel and quickly wiped it down with oil. It wasn't a _thorough_ cleaning, but it would do in a pinch. He would finish it when he got home.

As he left the building he pulled out his cell phone and called Squall, letting him know that the job was done and he was ready for a pick up. Taking the earpiece out of his ear, Irvine went looking for Sergeant Roberts to return it to him.

He made his way through the milling crowd of police, EMS and news outlets, keeping his hat low and avoiding the cameras and on-air personalities. While he didn't mind cameras _per se_, he, like Squall, simply detested the news media. And this was a situation where Irvine _wanted_ to keep a low profile. It did occur to him that he wasn't exactly incognito with his black cowboy hat, duster, ammo bag, and in particular the long black rifle case he carried. If anything looked _more _out of place in the aftermath of the standoff, Irvine couldn't think of it.

His height didn't help much either. While he didn't manage Seifer's frankly impressive 6'4", he wasn't far behind at 6'2". They'd all hit a late surge in growth, oddly, and with the exception of Zell, had all managed a couple of inches or more in height when all was said and done. So, putting together the image of the tall, lean cowboy with the long black case in his hand, well…

"Excuse me! Sir? Sir! Hello?" a voice kept calling, and Irvine ignored it, hoping the person was hailing someone else. He continued walking toward the command post.

"Hello? You in the black hat! Hello!" Irvine sighed. He turned to see a determined-looking newscaster pursuing him with single-minded intensity. He recognized her as a local broadcast personality based in Deling City.

Petite, energetic and downright tenacious, Kelsie Reynolds had worked the local news in Deling City for the last five years, working her way up to the anchor desk on the evening news. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite there yet. Instead, she languished in the late-morning to noontime slot. Not the best place to be if you want visibility. Still, she knew it was simply a matter of hustle and maybe, just maybe, a great story to help her break into the ranks of the evening anchors. She was at the location of a great story, and she needed an angle to work. The lanky man trying unsuccessfully to sneak by her fit the bill perfectly.

"Hi!" she said perkily. The tall cowboy looked familiar, and that long black case he carried could only mean one thing. He was the sniper that took out the three suspects in the bank.

Sticking her hand out, Kelsie said, "I'm Kelsie Reynolds, Deling City Action News. Can I ask you a couple of questions Mr…?" The man cautiously shook her hand, looking surreptitiously around for an escape route. Kelsie smiled inwardly, recognizing the signs of someone uncomfortable with the media. So, she turned up the wattage on her smile and did her best to put the young man at ease.

"Kinneas." He mumbled. Where the hell was Squall, and where'd that damned incident commander go? Irvine wanted out of there in the worst way. He damn sure didn't want to take the time trying to convince this limpet of a reporter that he had nothing to do with the three men lying dead in the bank.

"Kinneas? _Irvine_ Kinneas?" She asked, eyes going wide.

_Crap. She knows who I am. _"Yes, ma'am." He answered with a sigh. His heart sank when he saw the wheels turning underneath the reporter's helmet of blonde hair. It wouldn't take her long to figure everything out.

"You're one of the SeeDs that attacked the Sorceress Edea here almost four years ago, aren't you? And you were also involved with the battle against Ultimecia? Right?" She asked, a speculative look in her eyes.

"Yup." Normally chatty to the point of garrulousness, Irvine was instead keeping as mum as possible, taking a page from Squall's book on how _not_ to do an interview. He did _not_ want to talk to this woman. _Somebody get me out of here, please…_ he thought desperately.

"You're a sharpshooter, a sniper, right?" she asked. Anyone with a brain and a memory knew that. Unfortunately. Which made it rather hard for Irvine to do any covert jobs in or around Deling City. Too many people knew him there. It was one of the reasons Squall usually assigned him to places like Dollet, Esthar or Trabia, where memories weren't quite so good and nobody knew him.

He still _did _on occasion have to work in Deling City, and usually managed to keep his profile low despite how recognizable he was. Usually. But that was not the case today.

The reporter was still waiting for him to either confirm or deny her suspicions, and Irvine simply shrugged and answered, "I'm a sharpshooter."

Then she went for the kill, asking, "Is this your handiwork?"

"Sorry ma'am, but you'll have to direct that question to the incident commander. I'm not authorized to speak to the media." Irvine answered flatly. _Take that, lady. Now go bug someone else. _

Glancing around, Irvine finally caught sight of Sergeant Roberts and said, "excuse me ma'am, but I need to leave. Good luck with your story."

Ignoring her protest, he turned and made his way over to the incident commander, handing him back his communicator and saying, "I just got waylaid by that lady reporter from Action News. She might be heading over here to talk to you next for a rundown of events."

Roberts nodded, "Okay, thanks. How much do you want us to tell her about your involvement?"

Irvine shrugged, "Whatever you feel is relevant. We don't mind that the media knows we assist law enforcement on occasion."

"Well, we do appreciate the help. Too bad for the suspects that it had to end this way but you saved the lives of at least 20 people today. Good job Kinneas." Sergeant Roberts put his hand out and Irvine shook it.

"Anytime Sergeant," Irvine said, then strode away, heading toward the outskirts of town where Squall usually landed the Ragnarok. Walking through the main thoroughfare, Irvine slowed, taking in the sights, and to be honest, doing a little bit of window-shopping. He paused, studying the items on display at a jeweler's, an idea forming in the back of his mind. He frowned slightly, wondering if it was still too soon for what he was considering. Perhaps not for _him_, but he wasn't sure about Selphie yet. He continued on, thinking hard.

He still needed to find the right moment, and the right ring, before he could ask Selphie to marry him. While they were making progress with their reconciliation, Irvine still had his worries, as much about himself as about Selphie. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should talk to a counselor.

He'd thought about it before, and each time he recoiled at the idea. The thought of someone rummaging about in his mind and psyche and analyzing what they found quite frankly terrified him. There were things in there that he simply did _not _want to examine. The thought that he might have to, in front of a stranger no less, in order to make any progress at all with what he was struggling with internally…well, he just didn't think he could do it. In this respect, he was the worst kind of coward. He could face just about anything… except his own fears.

But the question remained, would his character flaws rear their ugly heads yet again, and destroy everything Irvine held dear? He wondered, and he worried, and when he finally made it to where the Ragnarok had landed, decided that as long as he kept his focus on what was most important to him, the rest of it would fall into place. He hoped so anyway.

He saw Selphie waiting for him as he approached the airship, and he gave her a happy smile as she waved and bounced up to him. It was almost impossible to be in a bad mood if Selphie was this happy. It was infectious; her bubbly sense of joy was one of the main things Irvine loved about her.

"Hi sweetie. Did Squall come with you or are you flying solo today?" He asked as she slid her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Bending down, he kissed her gently.

"He had to do his paperwork and then he's got the gunbladers he's training. He's got a sparring match set with Seifer this afternoon, you wanna go check it out?" Selphie asked, smiling.

Irvine grinned. Now _that_ would be something he'd love to see. If nothing else, to see how they managed _not_ to kill each other while doing it.

"Yeah, sounds like fun. At least _I_ won't be the one getting pounded on for a change." Irvine answered. His stomach rumbled and he realized it was long past noon and he hadn't had lunch yet.

"When's Squall doing his sparring match with Seifer?" Irvine asked.

Selphie shrugged, "Around 4:30 or so, why?"

"I'm starving. I didn't get to grab lunch today, and I think we both hotfooted it out of Garden this morning without breakfast as well. I don't know if _you _managed to grab something after you guys dropped me off, but I know I haven't eaten yet." Irvine said.

"You want to grab something to eat here before we leave?" Selphie asked.

Irvine considered it, but decided against it. He'd managed to deflect that lady reporter once, but he didn't think he'd be that lucky a second time.

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nah, lets just go home. I've had enough fun here for one day."

* * *

After Irvine and Selphie arrived back at Garden and had lunch, Irvine got out his rifle and quickly stripped and cleaned it while Selphie watched.

"I did a quick clean before I left," he commented while running the rod through the barrel. "But I wanted to make sure everything was properly cleaned before I put it away."

Selphie wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of the cleaning solvent. The scent of cleaning fluid and gun oil would always remind her of Irvine, those two aromas always seemed to hang about him, even when he showered and put on cologne.

In fact, she rather liked it. The faint hint of cleaning solvent, gun oil, leather, and his own unique chemistry, provided a potent foundation to the musky cologne he favored. If there was a more effective aphrodisiac available, Selphie didn't know what it was.

She watched, fascinated as he cleaned his rifle with quick, practiced movements, peering down the barrel to check it before wiping down the rest of the rifle's components with the same cleaning solvent before taking an oiled rag to everything and reassembling it. The whole process couldn't have taken more than ten minutes.

"I think I'm jealous." Selphie said with a smile.

Irvine grinned at her, knowing what she was getting at, and said, "No need to be. The rifle is cleaned, put away, and my attention is one hundred percent all yours." Then he gave her a smoldering look and added, "Besides, you know I would take _much_ longer than just ten minutes to take care of _you_."

Selphie laughed, "is that _all_ you think about?"

Irvine chuckled, "Pretty much. You should know that by now." He stood, returned the gun case to his bedroom, and washed the gun oil off his hands in the bathroom sink. After drying off his hands, he came back into the living room of his apartment and sat down on the couch next to Selphie, pulling her close and kissing her.

"So," Irvine breathed, his lips hovering just above Selphie's, "are you busy for the next hour or so?"

"No, not really. What did you have in mind?" She whispered, already knowing his intentions.

Irvine answered with a low laugh that sent shivers through Selphie's nerve endings. Then he lowered his lips to meet hers. He started with feather light kisses that teased and taunted and left Selphie aching for more. Then gradually they got deeper and more passionate.

He pulled Selphie onto his lap and she straddled him, sneaking both hands under Irvine's shirt. She let her hands roam, imprinting the contours of his muscles, grown harder from his sparring matches with Zell, onto the palms of her hands. Her heart pounded heavily and her breath came in short gasps as Irvine did the same to her, pulling her shirt off and caressing up and down her torso.

He trailed kisses from her collarbone up to her earlobe, eliciting a shivery sigh from Selphie. He smoothed his hands up her back and in moments her bra was undone.

Selphie gazed down at him from her vantage; one eyebrow canted upward, then smiled and flipped his hat off, saying, "This is in the way." Then she pulled his shirt off.

Irvine chuckled wickedly and pulled her bra off the rest of the way, kissing her between her breasts and murmuring, "So is _this_."

They never made it to the bedroom.

* * *

A little over an hour later, they both sauntered casually into the Salle part of the gym arm in arm, feeling more than a little smug. They made their way to the area where Seifer and Squall usually sparred, hoping to be able to see the match.

A bout was in progress, with both participants anonymous in identical protective gear, including the screen masks. Both used the standard cutting trigger model gunblade; it was the model chosen for the games due to the fact that every gunblader alive started training with it first. It was a very basic, durable weapon.

Fujin and Rinoa stood to one side, watching both men closely. They parried back and forth with unbelievable speed, and Irvine couldn't tell who was getting the better of whom. At length one of the participants appeared to miss a parry and a cut appeared on the arm of the white fencing outfit he wore.

Immediately, Fujin barked, "HOLD!" The fencers froze; both were breathing hard as she approached, saw that the cut was in the fabric only, with no blood in evidence, and nodded to Rinoa.

Returning to her spot, Fujin said, "POINT. SEIFER." Both men returned to their marks, and it was only then that Irvine figured out who was who. The masks made the height difference between Seifer and Squall hard to see at first.

They stood at guard; waiting until Fujin said, "CONTINUE."

Squall went on the attack, slashing high and connecting solidly with Seifer's gunblade. They clashed back and forth, striking sparks off each other's weapons. They danced and weaved, parried and countered in a dizzying give and take.

The heavy, cutting gunblades they used were awkward and unwieldy, difficult to use in the classical sense of fencing with foils or sabers, but both Squall and Seifer had mastered the weapon and they used it more elegantly than Irvine had thought was possible. What was unique about it was that both used the gunblade in both a one _and_ a two-handed grip, alternating between the two depending upon the circumstances of the match.

It was fascinating, watching them. Irvine himself had never seen anything like it before and was incredibly impressed.

At length, Squall advanced upon Seifer and in a swift cutting motion beat Seifer's blade aside and leveled the point of his gunblade at Seifer's throat, holding his gunblade in a one-handed grip.

Again, Fujin barked out, "HOLD!" She inspected them yet again, still finding no blood spilled.

"POINT. SQUALL." She announced, then when they'd returned to their marks and settled back into guard position, she ordered, "CONTINUE."

The next sally produced no clear winner, but Irvine could see that both contestants were tiring, and in Seifer's case, becoming frustrated. Their exchanges grew more heated and less refined, and Seifer finally made another touch.

Fujin ordered, "HOLD!" and went to check on the touch, then shot a dangerous glare at Seifer.

Returning to her spot, she announced, "BLOOD. SEIFER DISQUALIFIED." Rinoa went to go check on Squall, who had a superficial cut to his left forearm. Seifer meanwhile cursed angrily and took off his mask, flinging it to the ground.

Squall took off his mask as well, commenting, "You lasted longer this time Seifer."

Seifer growled angrily, wiping sweat from his face, "You know how hard it is to just _touch_ when you're tired?"

"Yes, that's why we _practice_ at it." Squall said. Seifer glared at him.

Then he sighed and walked over to his gear bag and grabbed a water bottle, sucking down the contents thirstily. Squall took the bottle that Rinoa offered and drank deeply himself.

"This is harder than I thought it would be," Seifer grumbled.

Squall shrugged, "Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Besides, you and I both know you're up for the challenge."

"What about you? You don't think you can win?" Seifer asked, curiously.

Squall studied him in silence for a moment, then answered, "I think I can beat pretty much everyone that's in this competition. But we're such an even match, it could go either way."

"So, you think we'll be up against each other in the finals." Seifer stated. Squall nodded.

"Then maybe we need different training partners." Seifer said.

"The senior cadets aren't ready for this level of training. Cadet Sage Treide _might_ be, he's very good, but we'd still need one more person and we don't have one. We'll just have to work with what we've got." Squall said, then added, "Think of it this way: we're still on the same team, so ultimately it doesn't matter which of us wins."

"To _you_ maybe," Seifer responded. Then he added, "I say bring Sage in. We need another man on the team and he would benefit from the challenge."

"He's not a SeeD yet." Squall said.

"So? When's the next field exam?" Seifer asked.

Squall frowned, "next week. I can get him scheduled but I'll have to clear it with Cid first, and if he hasn't passed his prerequisites by then it won't happen. But he still has to qualify to participate in the games."

Seifer pursed his lips, thinking, "The last qualifying meet is in two weeks."

"That's a tight time frame. We've got maybe six weeks before the games start." Squall said.

"He can do it. You want me to go talk with him while you get things set up with Cid?" Seifer asked. Squall nodded.

Irvine and Selphie approached them at this point, and Irvine commented, "That was _seriously_ impressive. I've never seen that before."

"Yeah, that was way cool, guys! I'd be very surprised if neither of you won." Selphie said.

Then Irvine asked, "So what's the deal with you guys anyway? I thought you were gonna kill each other there for a minute, and now everything's cool again."

Seifer and Squall exchanged a glance and both shrugged.

"We're both very _focused_." Seifer said.

"Intense." Squall added.

"_And_ still trying to figure out who's the better gunblader." Rinoa added. Squall and Seifer both nodded in agreement.

"Well, I hate to tell you this Seifer, but my money's on Squall." Irvine commented. Seifer glared at him.

"Prove it, cowboy." Seifer challenged.

"Fifty gil says Squall beats _you_. A hundred says he wins the whole thing." Irvine answered firmly. Selphie and Rinoa exchanged eye rolls at this.

"You're on, cowboy." Seifer said, putting his hand out for a handshake. The subject of the wager simply rolled his eyes and sighed, wandering over to his sports bag and pulling out a towel to wipe his face off. Irvine shook Seifer's hand, sealing the bet.

"I'm gonna make you eat that bet." Seifer threatened, gesturing with his gunblade.

Irvine stepped back warily, warning, "Watch it, Seifer. Don't you know that only an idiot brings a knife to a gunfight?"

Seifer scoffed, "_What_ gun…" and stopped as Irvine opened his coat to show both of his holstered pistols.

"Guys, can you take it down a notch?" Squall asked, exasperated. Fujin echoed that sentiment with a wordless glare at Seifer. He raised both his hands in an "I surrender" gesture, knowing that her next move would be a painful kick if he didn't.

"Yeah, the free-floating testosterone in here is starting to give me a headache." Selphie said, then she looked over at Rinoa who had suddenly gone an astonishing pale green color.

"And it looks like its making Rinoa _sick_. Are you okay Rin?" she asked, concerned.

Rinoa, swallowing, nodded and then said weakly, "I'll be right back." She quickly left, headed for the lavatory. Selphie followed, frowning.

Squall stared after them, concerned, and mumbled, "I shouldn't have made her come today…"

"What do you mean? Has Rinoa been sick?" Irvine asked, worried. She'd seemed all right the last time he saw her, but that had been a few days ago.

Squall rubbed at the back of his neck, answering, "yeah, she's been sick for the last few days. She seemed okay this morning though…" Squall, still staring in the direction Rinoa had taken, missed the wide-eyed look that Seifer and Irvine exchanged. _No way. _Irvine mouthed. Seifer shrugged.

Clearing his throat, Irvine suggested, "Uh, look man. If she's been sick like that, maybe you should have the doctor check it out." _Could he really be that clueless? _ Irvine thought, and then realized that this was Squall he was talking to. _Of course_ he could be that clueless, especially when focused on the one thousand and one things that he had to do every day.

"Yeah, okay. Look, I'm gonna…" Squall gestured vaguely toward the lavatory that Rinoa and Selphie were just exiting from.

"All right, take it easy." Irvine said and Squall gave a vague wave in his direction as he walked toward Rinoa.

"I guess training's over for the day." Seifer said dryly.


	11. Chapter 11: Questions, Answers and Plans

Chapter 11: Questions, Answers and Plans.

Selphie stood with both feet braced shoulder width apart, arms extended, holding a 9mm semiautomatic pistol in a two-handed grip. She was wearing shooting glasses and ear protectors and behind her stood Irvine, adjusting her stance and as per usual, flirting with her in the process.

"Bend your elbows a little hon. I know you're familiar with this weapon, but you've obviously not been practicing with it much." Irvine coached, then reached out and bent her arms slightly at the elbow and placed his hand under the butt of the pistol, raising it up a little. Dropping his hands to her sides, he smoothed them down to her hips, adjusting them square to the target and sneaking a kiss to the side of her neck at the same time that made her shiver.

"You really like to live dangerously don't you?" Selphie said. Irvine laughed softly.

"As long as you keep that gun pointed over _there_, I'll be fine." He replied, indicating the target.

Then he stepped back and leaned against the wall of the indoor portion of Balamb Garden's shooting range, saying, "Besides, I wasn't the one playing with fire the other night."

Selphie smiled slyly and said, "yeah, and you loved every minute of it."

Irvine grinned broadly, "No denying that. But _this _time, I get to put the handcuffs on _you_."

"Don't forget the whipped cream." Selphie said, narrowing her eyes at the target.

"Damn, girl! Are you trying to kill me? You know how fattening that is? I'm thinking chocolate sauce." Irvine said.

"MMMMM.." Selphie groaned sensually, "I _love _chocolate.." Irvine sucked in a deep breath. She really _was _trying to kill him. He didn't care. He'd die happy.

He growled, "You'd better fire that damn gun before I drag you back home."

Selphie laughed and then took a deep breath, focused on her target, and shot all fifteen rounds in the pistol's clip. Irvine hit the button to bring the target back, and pulled it off the clip, looking at the cluster of bullet holes.

"Not bad. Nice, tight grouping. Not all of them dead center but pretty close." He commented.

Handing the target back to Selphie, he put another one up and said, "With a little more practice, you should be able to get them all pretty tight around the bulls-eye. You're only shooting 50 meters, so that shouldn't be too hard to do." Hitting the button, he sent the target back to the 50-meter mark and stopped it. Selphie dropped the spent clip from the pistol and slapped a new one home and cocked the gun.

Making sure his earphones were in place, Irvine nodded at her to go ahead and she started shooting again. Once finished, Irvine brought the target back and examined it. The cluster of bullet holes was much tighter, and more of them were in the center of the target than before.

"Much better. You want to do another round?" He asked.

Selphie shrugged, "I've got another clip loaded, so, sure."

"Alright." Irvine said, putting another target on the clip and running it back. Retreating back to the wall behind Selphie, Irvine watched her as she shot the next clip at the target.

It had taken a couple of weeks, more than three to be exact, but Irvine finally managed to make good on his invitation to take Selphie to the gun range with him. The day that he'd asked her, they'd gotten sidetracked and ended up at Selphie's place, making love all night. After that day, circumstances had conspired against them making the outing together until today. Irvine still kept up with his training in the meantime, along with his weekly sparring bouts with Zell and Squall.

He did manage a trip back to Galbadia Garden's gun range for some fine-tuning a week ago; unfortunately, Selphie had been unable to accompany him. It was however, a fateful twist that had worked in Irvine's favor. As he'd been strolling toward the train station, he passed the same jeweler's shop that he'd seen the last time he'd been in Deling City.

This time he went in for a closer look around. He was looking for a ring, but was frustrated at first at the rather pedestrian offerings that were in evidence. What he wanted had to be unique and special, as unique and special as Selphie was. A plain colorless diamond solitaire, while beautiful, was hardly unique. The problem was, he wasn't _entirely_ sure _what_ kind of ring he was looking for. It just had to be different.

It was when he was walking past a display of colored stones that he found it. He'd thought at first that the colored stones were just plain gemstones or possibly even manufactured semi-precious stones. Upon closer inspection, he discovered they were actually fancy colored _diamonds_. He'd never heard of colored diamonds, and learned that some types were actually very rare. Unique? Definitely. Special? _Yes_.

As he perused the stones they had available a brilliant flash of canary yellow grabbed his attention. The sales clerk took the ring out for him and he studied it carefully, a slow smile spreading across his features. It was perfect. Two carats. Square cut and flawless, set in silvery platinum. The stone was a brilliant, clear yellow color, accented with a smaller triangle-cut colorless diamond on either side. He didn't know Selphie's ring size, but he didn't care. He'd get it sized to fit her. He also didn't bat an eye at the princely sum he had to pay for it. It was worth it.

The ring sat in its velveteen case in his front pocket. All that remained was picking the right moment. As he watched Selphie shoot, Irvine enjoyed the view he had. Her stance was correct of course, but that wasn't what he was admiring. He was admiring the highlights in her auburn hair, her trim backside encased in denim shorts, and her long, slender legs.

But that wasn't _all_ he loved about Selphie, just a small part of it. He loved her sense of humor, her intelligence, her spunk, her energy, her creativity… _especially_ her creativity, he smiled privately. He loved all that she was, and she was everything to him.

When the last bullet was fired and Selphie's gun clicked empty, Irvine retrieved the final target, showing her the tight cluster of holes in the center with a smile. He laid it down on the board in front of her, removed both her and his ear protectors, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close. He nibbled at the side of her neck up to her earlobe, nipping lightly at it.

Her knees buckled and she nearly dropped the gun, but Irvine smoothly took it from her and laid it on the board on top of her targets. Then he turned her around and found her lips with his, tasting and teasing her, one hand in her hair at the back of her head, the other splayed at her waist, pressing her against him. He could feel her nails digging into his back and that sent a thrill through him from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

He broke off momentarily to trail kisses along her jaw to her earlobe, nibbling at it yet again, whispering, "I'm _really _craving chocolate right now."

"We'd better go get it then," Selphie replied breathlessly. Irvine returned his lips to hers and continued to steal her breath until neither he nor Selphie could take it any longer.

He broke off the kiss to take a breath and smiled at her, brushing her a stray lock of hair away from her face gently. He'd wanted to set the scene a little differently, a candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant in town perhaps or maybe something more romantic at home. But _this_ moment in time, he couldn't think of anything better or more in line with who he was.

"I love you Selphie," he began quietly. "I've loved you my whole life, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. I know we've had our ups and downs, problems and disagreements, but I'd like to think we've learned from them. _I_ certainly have." He took another deep breath, suddenly feeling nervous and shaky. Surreptitiously fishing the box from his pocket, Irvine knelt down on one knee in front of Selphie and took her left hand in his.

Her eyes went wide as he continued, gazing up at her, "What _I_ learned was that I want you, and I need you in my life. I love everything about you Selphie, from your laugh to your temper, your incredible intelligence, your creativity and your unbelievable talents and abilities, not only as a SeeD but also as a person. I can't promise that I'll never hurt you, but I _can_ promise that I'll never do so deliberately. Another thing that I can promise you is that if you'll have me, I'll be yours completely. Will you marry me Selphie?" He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger, kissing it gently. It wasn't a perfect fit, but that could be easily fixed. Selphie gasped and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh! Irvine, its _beautiful!_" She whispered.

Irvine smiled, "I saw it in Deling City when I was there last week and I had to get it. It was just so _you_."

Then his smile faded and he swallowed, asking, "So..?"

Selphie, her eyes streaming, whispered, "_Yes_. Definitely yes." Irvine stood and lifted Selphie up in a crushing bear hug. Setting her back onto her feet, he sprinkled her face and neck with kisses, causing her to giggle breathlessly before capturing her lips and kissing her senseless.

"Why don't we continue this at home?" Selphie suggested softly.

"Hmmm? Right. Chocolate." Irvine said between kisses. He quickly gathered everything up; making sure Selphie's gun was empty before handing it back to her. They ran out to his truck hand in hand and drove back to Garden, with Irvine congratulating himself for _not_ exceeding the speed limit.

Later, they lay in bed together with Selphie's head pillowed on Irvine's shoulder, in the crook of his left arm. Extending her left arm, she laced her fingers through Irvine's and studied the ring as it winked brilliantly at them from her finger.

"This ring truly is stunning. And it's a diamond?" she asked.

"It is. Apparently, colored diamonds are all the rage now." Irvine said.

"My studly fashionista. Who knew?" Selphie smiled.

"_I_ certainly didn't. It just seemed to fit you." Irvine commented. Selphie laughed softly.

Then she unlaced her fingers from Irvine's, and idly swirled her fingers through the sparse hair on his chest and belly. She smiled to herself as he caught his breath. Smoothing her hand over to his other side, she pulled herself close, rolling onto her side to look up at his face. Reaching up, she caressed his cheek. His hand came up and trapped hers against his cheek and he turned his face into it, kissing her palm and smiling down at her.

"In case you're wondering, I forgive you." Selphie said quietly. Irvine's hand tightened on hers and he pulled her closer with his other arm. Letting her hand go, he rolled onto his side, facing her and stroked her hair. He gave her a soft, lingering kiss, closing his stinging eyes and sighing, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you." He whispered.

* * *

The next morning, Irvine walked into the gym to spar with Zell and Squall, and saw him warming up alone.

"Where's Squall?" Irvine asked.

"He's coming, he's just running a little late this morning." Zell answered.

"Huh. That's a first." Irvine commented.

Zell shrugged, "He said Rinoa wasn't feeling well."

Irvine smiled to himself. He wondered if Rinoa had confirmed what he suspected the cause of her "illness" was and informed Squall about it yet. He suspected not, since no mention of it had come from Squall. He had to be worried by now however, since it was going on three weeks since she'd started feeling unwell with no evidence of her recovering from it. Clueless or not, Squall wasn't _completely_ dense. He had to know _something_ was up.

When Squall arrived a few moments later, Irvine greeted him, saying, "Mornin'. How's Rinoa doing?"

Squall shrugged with a frown, "I don't know. She says she's fine but she's still getting sick."

"Has she seen a doctor yet?" Irvine asked.

Squall nodded, "Yeah, she saw one last week."

"And…?" Irvine prompted.

Squall raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, saying, "The only thing she'll tell me about it is that eventually it'll go away, but she won't tell me what the _problem _is."

Zell had remained silent throughout this exchange and suddenly his eyes went wide. Irvine caught the look and realized that Zell had figured out what Squall had yet to put together. Before he could open his mouth, Irvine punched him hard in the arm and gave him a warning look.

Rubbing his arm and glaring at Irvine, Zell said, "Why don't you go and get changed and warmed up Squall? Irvine and I will start things off and you can jump in when you're ready."

"All right," Squall nodded, and started toward the locker room.

He got about halfway there when he paused and turned back, saying with a slight grin, "By the way, I hear congratulations are in order Irvine."

Irvine chuckled, "Thanks. I take it Selphie told Rinoa?"

"She did. At the top of her lungs. My ears are still ringing." Squall said ruefully, continuing toward the locker room.

Irvine turned back to see Zell still glaring at him, arms folded across his chest.

"What?" he asked.

"You bastard. When were you going to tell me?" Zell demanded.

"Dude, I just asked her _yesterday_. I haven't had a chance to." Irvine said.

"Well, now I'm going to have to hurt you. Get in the ring, cowboy." Zell said.

Irvine rolled his eyes, retorting, "You can _try_ to hurt me. I'm getting better you know."

"Not better than _me_." Zell stated, getting into the ring and starting to dance.

"No," Irvine admitted, "but I _am_ getting better at _dodging_." Making sure he was properly warmed up and ready, Irvine put in his mouth guard and got into the ring as well.

"Prove it." Zell said, putting his guard up and advancing.

* * *

"So, you went to the doctor last week…" Selphie began. She was worried about her friend. Rinoa looked pale and had lost weight; enough that she'd gone beyond slender to actually _thin_.

Rinoa nodded. She was curled up on the couch with Angelo pressed reassuringly against her, with his head on her lap. She smiled wanly. The poor creature knew something was up with his mistress and was trying to comfort her in the best way he knew.

"Yes." Rinoa answered, scratching at Angelo's ears.

"Well?" Selphie prompted.

"I'm pregnant." Rinoa whispered, swallowing. Selphie's first impulse was to jump up and dance around the room, yelling at the top of her lungs again, but Rinoa's considerably less joyful expression gave her pause.

"Okay, I'm happy for you, but _you_ don't look happy about it. Why?" Selphie asked, concerned.

"Squall and I never talked about having kids. We just figured because I'm a sorceress, it wouldn't happen." Rinoa said, adding, "I mean, we never used any.. um…_anything, _after we got married. It's been almost a year, and nothing's happened until now."

"Really? Weird." Selphie said, adding, "have you told Squall yet?"

"I can't." Rinoa whispered, eyes filling with tears, "You don't know what this will do to him Selphie. He's got the games coming up and everything else; I can't do it. His mother _died_ in childbirth. I don't know how he'll handle _this_."

Selphie frowned, "well, I can sorta see your point, but you can't keep this a secret forever, eventually he's going to find out. You'll have to tell him sometime, Rinoa."

"Not until after the games." Rinoa said firmly.

"But that's still three weeks away, are you sure that's wise?" Selphie asked.

"I don't know Selphie," Rinoa said miserably. "The doctor told me I'm perfectly healthy and she didn't see any reason why I shouldn't carry to term, but when I talked to Edea about it, she told me that I'm in uncharted territory. There is no record of any sorceress ever becoming pregnant, much less doing it successfully. It may not even take."

"Meanwhile, Squall is quietly going out of his mind, worrying about you. That's not terribly fair to him." Selphie said.

Rinoa sighed shakily and wiped at her eyes, "I know Selphie. But how much worse would it be for me to tell him and then miscarry?"

"You don't know that'll happen. Don't borrow trouble, Rin." Selphie chided her.

Then she asked, "Did you ever wonder what he'd be like as a father?"

"I'd never really thought about it. Like I said, we didn't think it would happen." Rinoa said, placing her hand over her midsection. The nausea was coming back. She sighed and reached for a cracker, nibbling on it in an effort to settle her roiling stomach. She'd learned there was a sort of pattern to it. If she went too long without eating she inevitably got sick. Another trigger, oddly, was working magic. The day she'd gotten sick while Squall was training was a direct result of her casting a cure spell to take care of the cut Seifer had given him. She'd taken to carrying healing potions after that. Squall looked askance at it but was satisfied when Rinoa had explained that her "illness" had weakened her ability to cast spells. It was plausible, and even partly true.

And Selphie was right; she couldn't hide this from Squall for too long. While he hadn't put all the clues together yet, mostly due to being preoccupied with his various activities, once he started paying attention it wouldn't take long before he figured it out. He wasn't stupid.

"Well I think he'd make a good father, if he's given a chance." Selphie said staunchly.

"Maybe." Rinoa sighed. Selphie gripped her hand tightly, giving it a squeeze.

"Well, give me a call if you need anything Rin. I've gotta go now though, Irvine and I are going to Deling City to get the ring sized so it won't fall off my finger." Selphie smiled, getting up to go over to Rinoa and hug her before heading for the door.

"Alright Selphie. Have a good trip." Rinoa said, smiling after her.

* * *

Selphie stood watching the countryside speed by on the train to Deling City about an hour after her visit with Rinoa. Irvine stood behind her, arms wrapped around her.

"So how was your visit with Rinoa? Is she doing okay?" Irvine asked.

"Yeah. Still getting nauseous, but at least we know why." Selphie answered.

"Oh? So what did the doctor say?" Irvine asked, curious.

"She is indeed pregnant." Selphie said with a sigh.

Irvine chuckled, "I thought so. When's she going to tell Squall?"

"She wants to wait until after the games. She's worried about how Squall will take the news and she doesn't want to interfere with his preparation." Selphie answered.

Irvine frowned, "This is _already_ interfering. Squall's concentration is shot to pieces because he's so worried about her."

"I told her that. She's afraid, Irvine. Do you know that there is no record of any sorceress, good or bad, ever getting pregnant and carrying a child successfully to term? Plus, Squall's mother..." Selphie said, letting her voice trail off.

"Right. On second thought, that _might_ freak him out a bit." Irvine observed, trying, and failing, to picture Squall's reaction to the news. The only thing about Squall that Irvine knew with any certainty was the fact that his friend's personality was complex and unpredictable. Not even "expert Squall observer" Quistis was right about him _all _the time.

"Well, I guess it goes without saying that we are keeping our noses firmly _out _of their business, correct?" Irvine stated.

Selphie sighed, "Yeah, that seems wise, at least for now."

Turning to face Irvine, she asked him wistfully, "What do _you_ think about it? About fatherhood? Do you want any kids?"

"I haven't thought about it _too_ much, but yeah, I do want kids." Irvine answered with a smile.

"How many?" Selphie asked.

Irvine shrugged, "Whatever you can handle. You're the one that's going to be doing all the hard work, so that part's up to you."

"Well, I personally think you'll make a great dad. You're wonderful with the junior cadets." Selphie smiled at him.

Irvine laughed softly, "Thanks for the vote of confidence sweetheart."

Pulling her close, he kissed her deeply, then asked, "Any ideas on when and where we should get married?"

"Not yet," Selphie answered. "I'm gonna need a little time to think about it. What about you?"

"Whatever you want, babe. This is your show." Irvine said.

"Not _just_ mine. You _do_ have a say in this too, you know." Selphie said.

"Well, as long as you don't go all bridezilla on me I'll be happy to follow your lead. If you leave it up to me, we might end up at the Shumi Village Casino in Trabia getting married by a moogle." Irvine said. Selphie giggled at this.

"A moogle?" She laughed harder as she pictured it. Irvine's next comment however sent her over the edge.

"Well, either that or a moomba. It would be a little weird though, since the only thing they seem to be able to say is 'Laguna.' " He replied, laughing. Selphie laughed so hard she couldn't breathe and her eyes were streaming.

"I can see it now," she gasped, "this little moomba standing solemnly between us squeaking "laguna" repeatedly, while everyone else tries to figure out exactly what he's saying. Meanwhile, Zell's demolishing the hotdog buffet, Quistis and Rinoa are scaring the patrons at the karaoke bar there, and Squall's losing his shirt playing triple triad against the house. And afterwards we ride off into the sunset on a chocobo with tin cans tied to its tail."

Irvine laughed so hard he almost fell over.

After regaining his breath and calming down a little, he said, "I notice you didn't have _Squall_ in the karaoke bar in this little fantasy of yours."

"No. I think SeeD has classified his singing voice as a weapon of mass destruction. He'd be violating all kinds of security protocols if he ever attempted to sing in public." Selphie said, completely deadpan.

Irvine cracked up again, saying, "I'll have to ask him about that next time I see him."

"Let me know when you do, so I can start planning your funeral." Selphie smirked.

Irvine chuckled, saying, "Darlin', of all the things I love about you, it's your sense of humor I love the most."

Selphie smiled impishly and moved her hands, which had been clasped together behind Irvine's back, downward to grab his backside.

Giving it a squeeze, she said, "Well, aside from your sweet personality, the thing I love most about _you_ is your tight, sexy ass."

"You had to go there, didn't you?" Irvine grinned.

"Yes I did. The temptation was overwhelming." Selphie grinned back.

"Minx." Irvine said, bending down to kiss her breathless. They were so preoccupied that they nearly missed the announcement of their arrival in Deling City.


	12. Chapter 12:Let the Games Begin

Chapter 12: Let the Games Begin

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is Kelsie Reynolds for Deling City Action News and I'm at the International Stadium here in Deling City with my co-host Ron Jackson. We're here to help kick off the fourth running of the SeeD games. The opening ceremonies are going to be starting in just a few minutes, and as you can see, the level of excitement here is just incredible!"

The camera panned out and showed a large, noisy crowd gathered in the stadium behind the announcer's booth. The camera focused back onto the blond newscaster, who looked over at her partner and he took up the narrative from there.

"That's right Kelsie. This is Galbadia's first time hosting these games, which occur at five-year intervals. Just a little background here on these events: SeeD is the military arm of the Garden military academies, which have been in existence for twenty years now. These academies train children as young as five years old up to the age of twenty, where they can graduate and join the ranks of SeeD as elite soldiers of fortune. SeeD is dispatched all over the world on various military and security missions. In addition, they participate in humanitarian efforts and disaster relief, as well as assisting and supporting local police agencies." The male newscaster paused and took a drink of water, allowing Kelsie to take up the narrative again.

"That's correct, and that last fact was illustrated brilliantly a few weeks ago here during a hostage standoff that eventually required a SeeD-trained sniper to resolve it." Kelsie supplied, then she continued, saying, "These games are a contest among all the SeeDs from the various Garden Academies in Galbadia, Trabia, Balamb, and the new one in Esthar, as well as the naval arm of SeeD, the White SeeDs. Given the military nature of the participants, the coming events are sure to be extreme and exciting. They are going to be competing in a mixture of standard sporting events such as track and field, basketball, tennis, swimming, rugby, weightlifting and gymnastics, and the more military oriented events such as mixed martial arts, shooting, fencing, both standard and, unique to SeeD, _gunblade_ fencing, and the final event, which is also notorious for being the most dangerous event in these games, the A-level combine."

"Hey Sashi! Has it started yet?" Jenna asked, hurrying into their shared living room and plopping onto the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Sashi and her friend Carly both shook their heads in answer.

"Not really, just the announcers doing their spiel. The opening ceremonies should be starting in a few minutes though." Sashi answered.

"Are Mick and Kev coming?" Jenna asked.

"Nah, they don't care about the opening ceremonies, they're going to wait until the actual events get started. So they'll be here tomorrow for the first day." Sashi said.

"Well _I _want to see them." Jenna said.

Carly shrugged, "It's all military. Not like they're going to have the latest pop star doing a song and dance routine."

"So you think it'll be boring." Sashi stated.

"Probably." Carly said.

"Well, we'll see, it's starting now." Sashi said.

They watched as the announcer introduced the various garden academies, first being the host, Galbadia Garden's team. In a sense, the opening ceremonies _were _boring. It was more like a military review, with each team marching in formation, all in full dress uniforms.

The camera focused on each academy's team, led by the team captain, as they entered and formed up, facing the grandstand and the stage on the field.

When Balamb Garden's team was introduced, the camera focused on Squall as he led them in, and the girls gasped.

"Oh my GOD!" Jenna exclaimed.

"_He cut his hair?_ _Why_?" Sashi wailed.

"I kind of like it." Carly said, smiling. Jenna and Sashi both glared at her.

"I liked it the way it was." Sashi said sadly. Jenna shushed her turned up the sound, and they all focused on the television screen.

It was a last minute decision on Squall's part. His hair wasn't long enough for him to get away with pulling it back into a ponytail. When he'd attempted it, he quickly decided it looked stupid, and he didn't have the patience or _time_ at this point, to grow it long enough so that it _wouldn't_ look stupid. He hadn't cut his hair in ages, and it had gotten to the point that he'd either _have_ to cut it or deal with trying to run a marathon, fence and participate in the combine with his vision compromised by his overly long forelock. It wouldn't do, so he'd made a strategic decision to get it out of the way.

The look of shock that everyone, particularly Rinoa, displayed when he showed up at the stadium in full dress uniform with a regulation "high 'n tight" haircut made the sacrifice worthwhile.

The opening ceremonies promised to be horrendously boring, in Squall's honest opinion. Basically, all the teams would be standing in formation at parade rest for the duration of the thing. Fortunately, _he_ wasn't going to have to do the speech and officially open the games. That would be Cid's job, as the founder of the garden academies and SeeD.

As he and the team formed up at attention and saluted, then went to parade rest, Squall scanned the crowd, amazed at seeing so many people in one place. It was definitely an event that would attract a lot of attention, but given that it was the SeeD games and not the International Games, he'd have thought that there would be less interest in seeing it. Apparently, that was not the case.

His gaze strayed to a section that had been reserved for family and friends of the participants, and he was gratified to see both Rinoa and Laguna sitting there, side by side. Ellone unfortunately had not made it. That left him feeling somewhat disappointed. He'd worried that Rinoa wouldn't feel up to coming, but she'd improved over the last couple of weeks, regaining some of her lost weight. Her stomach was still a little touchy, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. That eased his worry for her a little bit.

He smiled slightly when he caught Laguna's astounded expression at his new look after Rinoa pointed him out. He glanced off to the side and saw the huge video screen displaying the entire array of teams, and was annoyed when the camera focused on him for a moment before thankfully shifting to the stage on the field and General Caraway who was, as Galbadia's official representative, giving the welcoming address before Cid's remarks.

Squall did his best to relax while at parade rest and schooled his face into its usual blank expression so as not to give away his boredom while Caraway and then Cid gave their speeches. The flags of Galbadia, Balamb, Trabia and Esthar were ceremoniously presented and raised, along with the flags bearing the emblem of SeeD and the White SeeD. This was the first time that White SeeD had bothered to participate in the games, and their entrance, in their pristine white uniforms as a contrast to everyone else's dark olive, caused a sensation.

Irvine too was trying to avoid displaying how bored he was with the proceedings. Scanning the crowd, he sighed when he saw that Selphie had not made it. She had left for Esthar that morning in the Ragnarok to take her test, and apparently had not made it back yet. He still couldn't believe that Squall had gone and cut his hair off. He didn't figure his friend for being overly vain, but he did notice that over the last few years his hair had been maintained at a certain length, and it never seemed to change in any detectable way. When Squall had patiently explained his reason for the drastic change, he couldn't fault his logic. For Irvine to cut _his _hair however would require an event of apocalyptic proportions.

When he'd gotten over his shock, he began to notice that Squall was secretly enjoying the reactions he got, even going so far as to impishly place his finger under Rinoa's jaw to close her mouth after it had dropped open at the sight. Then he'd given her a quick kiss before forming everyone up to march out onto the field.

* * *

"Its too bad Ellone couldn't make it tonight." Rinoa commented as she watched the action (or lack thereof) on the field.

"I know, but honestly, I think she'll have a better time watching the events on T.V. tonight and watching everything live here tomorrow." Laguna said, watching the huge video screen showing the participants and still trying to wrap his head around his son's new look. It had taken his demeanor a short step from formidable to positively forbidding. It was hard to believe he was still only twenty.

Rinoa nodded, "Yeah, I can't fault that logic. I know Squall would like to see her here in the stands at the finish of the marathon though."

Laguna shook his head, "I still can't believe he's taking this on. How is he going to do all three events? Is he going to have enough recovery time in between?"

"You obviously have no idea how driven he can be when he gets his teeth into something." Rinoa said seriously, then added, "but to answer your question, yes, he'll have enough time to recover. He checked the scheduling of the events before he even tried to qualify for them."

"And his rivalry with Seifer had _nothing_ at all to do with this, right?" Laguna said drolly.

"Oh, it had everything to do with it. But I could tell he was seriously enjoying the challenge." Rinoa smiled. All of Squall's training, in spite of the time he devoted to it, had produced a side benefit that Rinoa was _very_ happy about. Squall's build ordinarily tended toward wiry leanness, a side effect of his tendency to forget meals. And while runners also tend toward a lean build, Squall hadn't _just_ been running. He had for a change been very conscientious about eating properly and the mixture of activities he'd engaged in had caused him to actually _gain_ weight. All of it muscle, and all of it _damn_ good looking on him.

It was enough to drive his hormone-addled wife crazy. Still in the dark about the cause of those hormones, Squall was simply left both confused and gratified when Rinoa ambushed him at odd intervals. They had to be odd intervals, because the nausea was a definite romance-killer. But when she was feeling good, she felt _really_ good. And when she felt _that_ good, eventually Squall did too. If nothing else, her newly aggressive amorousness _did_ allay Squall's concerns about her _health_.

"He gets a little bored doing the Commander stuff all the time, doesn't he?" Laguna said.

Rinoa nodded, "he does. As conscientious as he is about 'performing his duties to the best of his ability'- his words, I might add- sometimes even _he _has to cut loose and have fun. Of course, his idea of 'fun' usually involves something either dangerous or extreme. Hunting monsters comes up quite a lot."

"I hear he's taken up surfing." Laguna commented.

"Yeah, Irvine and Zell can usually get him to come out and hit the waves on occasion. I wouldn't necessarily call it a 'hobby' but he does seem to enjoy it whenever he manages to get out there." Rinoa replied.

"You should come out to Esthar again sometime. There are some really nice beaches on the northeastern coast, and I've heard that the surfing there is great. Elle and I would love to have you guys visit for a few days, we don't see you two enough." Laguna invited.

Rinoa smiled, "I'll see if I can convince Squall that he needs to take a vacation and visit his family." A sudden surge of nausea caused Rinoa to close her eyes and take a deep breath, hoping it would subside. She groaned softly when she felt the bile rising up into her throat.

"Are you okay Rinoa? Your face just went dead white." Laguna asked, concerned.

Swallowing, she nodded her head and said, "I'll be right back."

When she returned, Laguna said, frowning, "should you be here tonight if you're feeling this ill?"

"I'll be fine. This is a _temporary_ condition." Rinoa said. Laguna studied her for a moment, frowning as he ran the comment through his mind, then his eyes widened.

"You're …" he began.

Rinoa nodded with a smile, "congratulations grandpa."

Since they were sitting in the grandstand in the midst of a packed crowd, Laguna couldn't just leap up, whooping at the top of his lungs like he wanted to, so he did the next best thing and instead enveloped Rinoa in an enthusiastic hug.

"I'm gonna be a grandpa? Seriously? Wow!" Laguna marveled, then he asked, "how far along are you and what does Squall think about it?"

"Six weeks, and Squall doesn't know yet." Rinoa answered, adding firmly to forestall Laguna's censure, "I'm telling him after the games."

"Don't wait too long honey. Trust me on this." Laguna said softly.

Then he groaned as the realization sank in, "I'm gonna be a _grandfather_? I'm only forty-seven! I'm not _old_ enough to be a grandfather!"

"You think _you're_ surprised? I didn't think it would happen at all. Even Edea was shocked." Rinoa said.

"I hate to suggest this, because I know Squall absolutely _loathes_ the man, but we may need to talk to Dr. Odine about this." Laguna said hesitantly. He didn't much care for the little man either but he was undeniably a brilliant, if morally questionable, scientist. Laguna did his best to keep the man as humane as possible, mainly by keeping strict controls on the funding for his research projects. He knew for certain that the _last_ thing Squall would tolerate would be Odine turning his wife into a lab rat. Still, if there was anyone else that knew more about sorceresses, Laguna had yet to learn of them.

Rinoa shook her head vigorously, "No. Not unless we have no other choice, and I _will _talk to Squall about it first. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing your best scientist."

Laguna grimaced, "That's right. You probably don't remember this but Elle had linked Squall with my mind when I found her in Esthar as a toddler, and trust me, I could _feel_ the hatred radiating down the link. It was all I could do _not_ to break Odine's neck right then and there, because that's what Squall was urging me to do. When he came to Esthar and met Odine face to face, if looks could kill, Odine would have dropped dead at Squall's feet. I have no doubt that Squall would happily squeeze the life out of Odine at the slightest provocation."

"So, no, I'm not going to talk to him unless we have no other alternative and Squall agrees with it." Rinoa said.

Laguna nodded. That was the safest bet. But he did worry a little about Rinoa. Truth is, nobody knew how pregnancy would affect a sorceress, because there was no information. Nothing in any of the histories or chronicles even mentioned it. If anybody could find out however, Odine could.

When he got back to Esthar, Laguna decided he would talk to Dr. Odine himself.

* * *

Selphie brought the Ragnarok to a soft landing right next to where Balamb Garden had settled itself on the outskirts of Deling City. The other gardens were likewise stationed in various points around Deling City, all of them there because of the games. She was gratified to see the newly rebuilt Trabia Garden, configured into a mobile base like the rest of them. And then there was Esthar's new Garden, which was…unique. She smiled at the fanciful design and color.

Then she sighed, knowing she'd missed the opening ceremonies and hoping that Irvine wasn't too terribly disappointed. She truly had no idea that testing to qualify for sub-orbital flight would take as long as it did. Shutting down the airship's engines, she unbuckled her seatbelts and left the ship, heading toward Balamb Garden and home.

As she walked toward garden, she saw a tall, uniformed figure coming toward her. She smiled as she drew closer; appreciating all over again how well Irvine wore his dress uniform.

"Hi sweetie, sorry I'm late. How'd the ceremonies go?" Selphie said as she walked into his embrace. He gave her a firm squeeze and smiled down at her.

"It was boring. I swear Squall was actually asleep with his eyes open the whole time. I don't think he even blinked once. I didn't know he could do that." Irvine smirked. Then he bent down and gave her a soft kiss.

"Have you had dinner?" he asked.

"Not yet." She answered, smiling.

"Come on then." He said, putting his arm around her and walking with her back toward garden.

"So, how'd the test go? Must have been pretty intense if it took this long." He commented.

"Yeah, it was." She answered.

"Well?" Irvine prompted.

Selphie squeezed him hard and answered jubilantly, "I passed!"

"Awesome! I knew you could do it sweetheart." Irvine said proudly.

"This calls for a celebration. Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked.

"How about Pike's? I've got a craving for one of their wonderful steaks." Selphie suggested.

"Sure, just let me get changed out of this uniform.." Irvine began, but Selphie shook her head.

"Sorry babe, but no way. You look _way_ too hot wearing that, and _I _want to be the one to take it off of you. So, let's get dinner first, then _I'll_ undress _you_. Deal?" she suggested with a sultry smile.

"Well, since you put it _that_ way, it's a deal." Irvine grinned. Instead of heading toward their rooms, they altered their course to the garage and got into Irvine's truck. They were a little far outside of Deling City for walking, so this time around, Irvine opted to drive. Parking would be a little bit of a challenge, but Pike's did have a small parking area next to it.

When they got there, they found a table in the bar area with a good view of the television screen there. The local evening newscast was on, and clips of the opening ceremonies were being replayed.

Irvine ordered their steaks and asked Selphie, "What do you want to drink? Beer or soda?"

Selphie shrugged, "I'll drive if you want to have a beer."

Irvine considered that for a moment, then decided against it, saying, "Nah, don't really feel like a beer tonight. So I'm just gonna have a soda."

"Same here," Selphie said, then her gaze strayed to the television, which was showing a shot of the SeeD teams as they entered the stadium. The camera focused on Balamb's team and Squall, who was leading them, and Selphie gasped.

Irvine chuckled, "That's pretty much all I heard all night. You should have seen Rinoa's face when he showed up like that. I thought she was going to faint."

"Why did he cut it? He's never bothered with going full regulation before." Selphie asked, still staring at the screen. The scene shifted to another story and she turned back to Irvine.

"He needed to get his hair out of his eyes. It was starting to bother him and he didn't want it to interfere with his events. At least, that how he explained it to me." Irvine answered with a shrug.

"Well it _is_ logical. But wow, what a drastic change! Scary." Selphie commented.

"I don't know about scary, but he certainly does look more intimidating, doesn't he?" Irvine replied.

"He sure does." Selphie said. Their meals arrived shortly thereafter.

As they ate, Selphie asked, "So, tomorrow's the track and field events, right? Squall's doing his marathon first thing in the morning, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Did you know Nida's doing the decathlon?" Irvine asked.

Selphie shook her head, "Really? No, I didn't."

"Apparently, he's one of Balamb's best track stars. Practically a team by himself; it'd be pretty impressive if he wins it. That's not easy to do." Irvine said.

"Well, the marathon's not easy either. What do you think Squall's chances are?" Selphie asked, curious.

Irvine shrugged, "Well, he's no slouch, but so far the best time he's managed in training doesn't come close to the favorite in this race. Plus, he's never run a marathon before. I hate to say this but while I think he'll _finish_, he may not _win_."

"Who's the favorite?" Selphie asked.

"Galbadian SeeD named Sebastian Cole. Probably the best in the world; he's run the marathon in the last two SeeD Games, and won. Likewise with the International Games, competing on Galbadia's track and field team. He took second place the first time, and the last time he won. Broke the world record. The guy _lives_ for this." Irvine answered.

"Wow. Well, I wouldn't count Squall out just yet. You know how tough he is. He might just win it on sheer grit." Selphie said.

Irvine nodded, "he might at that."

"So when does your shooting event start?" Selphie asked.

"Day after tomorrow. The preliminary event starts first then if I make it through that round we go into the elimination round the next day. The final round is on the third day." He answered.

"Well, I know you'll win it. I don't have any doubts about that." Selphie said firmly.

"I'm up against some really tough competition. It won't be as easy for me as you'd think." Irvine cautioned.

"You can do it. You and I both know you're the best." Selphie said.

"We'll know for sure in a few days, won't we?" Irvine said, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I can't wait!" Selphie pronounced. She too was getting excited about the games.

"Meet me at the stadium tomorrow morning to watch the track and field events and cheer our team on." Irvine invited.

"Why would I need to _meet_ you when we could just go together?" Selphie said, running her finger along Irvine's hand before finally taking it and giving it a squeeze.

He smiled slowly, squeezing it back, saying, "Oh, right. We still have to get me out of this uniform don't we?"

Selphie laughed softly, "Yes, we do." Bringing his hand up to her mouth, Selphie gave him a sultry look and sensually drew his finger into her mouth. Irvine caught his breath as desire rocketed through him.

"Wicked, wicked woman." He said in a strangled voice. Selphie laughed again, a low, sexy rippling laugh that conjured all sorts of arousing images in Irvine's mind.

"Okay. We're outta here. Check please!" He said, quickly paying it and ushering Selphie out of the establishment.

* * *

Day One

Event: Track and Field

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is Kelsie Reynolds, and next to me here is our sports analyst, former holder of the 1500 meter world record, Bruce Samson. This is Day One of the SeeD games, and the first event to kick off the games is the marathon, part of the Track and Field events that will be taking place here today." The giant video screen in the stadium showed the blond haired newswoman and her partner, a dark haired former athlete that was there to offer opinion and commentary on the day's events.

Selphie and Irvine were sitting in the stands and Selphie waved when she saw Rinoa, Laguna and Ellone come in and take their seats several rows down, closer to the track. They waved back, then turned and sat down.

Selphie turned her attention to back to the screen and the sports analyst, who was talking about the participants.

"The field for today's marathon is going to be a fairly small one, since this event is restricted to active SeeDs only and not the general public. So there's only going to be a total of twenty-three participants today. There are four entries from Galbadia Garden, including current world record holder and favorite to win this race, Sebastian Cole. Trabia's team has five entrants, Balamb has six, including team captain and commander of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart. The rest of the field includes three entrants from Esthar Garden and five from the White SeeD contingent."

Down on the field, the racers were milling about, stretching, warming up and getting ready for the race. Selphie easily picked Squall out from the knot of runners from Balamb Garden, two other men and three young women, all wearing their dark navy blue and silver track uniforms.

"So which one of those Galbadian runners is Cole?" Selphie asked Irvine.

"See that tall guy there that looks like a chocobo?" Irvine pointed him out.

"That's him? Wow, you're right, he _does_ look like a chocobo. A skinny one, but I definitely see the resemblance." Selphie said. The individual in question was nearly six and a half feet tall, rail thin, had spiked up red-gold hair and a huge, beaky nose. He also had the biggest damn feet that Selphie had ever seen. As unassuming as he appeared, when standing next to the rest of the runners in the race, he dwarfed them all.

"He runs like one too." Irvine commented. This was not an insult as the large, flightless birds were strong runners.

While they were readying the start of the marathon, the field events for the day got started. Selphie and Irvine picked out Nida easily as he began his quest for the decathlon medal with the pole vault.

Irvine focused his attention back to the track, wondering if Squall was apprehensive about the race. Watching him, it was hard to tell. He paced gracefully back and forth, stretching and limbering up, but aside from an inability to stand still didn't display any other sign of nervousness. The track official tweeted his whistle and the runners lined up in a waterfall start across the track. Because it was a long distance race, there were no lanes assigned.

The start of the race would be on the track, and the runners would make one circuit before leaving the stadium to run the remainder of the route for the marathon. The course wound its way through Deling City to the outskirts where it threaded through the brutally hot Galbadian desert for six miles before looping back through the city and finishing up on the track again. There weren't too many hills; it was a relatively flat course. But the heat of high summer in Galbadia's central desert was enough of a test, particularly for those runners from cooler climates such as Trabia and Balamb.

The unexpected crack of the starter's pistol caused Irvine to jump slightly, and he laughed to himself at his reaction. The runners leaped forward at the signal, surging forth with a surprising amount of speed for such a long race. Cole took the lead, but Squall had apparently decided not to waste his energy fighting for position this early in the race and loped along comfortably in the middle of the pack.

* * *

In the moments leading up to the start of the race, Squall _was_ in fact rather nervous. He had never run a marathon before. He'd run the _distance _in training. But he'd never run it in a race against other people. Running was ordinarily a solitary pursuit uniquely suited to his personality and he enjoyed the solitude. Running in a _race_ however was completely different. So, yeah, he was nervous. Only a fool wouldn't be. He was also excited and eager for the race to start. His heart thudded heavily and adrenaline was already flooding his blood, to the point that he simply could _not_ be still. He dimly heard one of the other Balamb runners say something to him, and he responded vaguely, his mind focused on the coming test.

At the line up, he saw the Galbadian champion, Cole, out of the corner of his eye. A marathon is a long race, and while he was new to this type of thing, he was aware of the fact that the race would be won as much due to strategy as to conditioning. Squall's only strategy was to run his race and finish with enough gas in the tank to make a final surge at the end. He knew Cole would set the pace. He was a pro at this. Squall didn't want to get pulled into a speed test with the man, but he also wanted to stay close enough to the pace that he'd have at least a slim chance of catching him.

Squall took a deep breath to calm and center himself, and as he let it out, the starting gun went off.

As one, all of the runners bolted forward and charged for the first turn. Squall was swept along for a few strides, as much to avoid getting trampled on or jostled as to keep pace with the leaders. The field eventually strung out as people settled into the rhythm of running. Squall too, took a deep breath and physically shook himself to try and relax, then settled into a smooth, ground-eating stride.

Sooner than expected, they'd completed their circuit of the stadium, and headed out onto the streets of Deling City and the course itself.

Squall ran along, paying scant attention to the throngs of people lining the course, yelling, cheering and waving. He tried not to let the crowds bother him but he did find it somewhat disconcerting. He concentrated on running instead. And breathing.

_Relax. Breathe. _His breath still came easily, his muscles warmed and limber and his strides firm. He fell into a nearly hypnotic state, his wind in sync with his strides as he flowed gracefully along the course. He checked ahead, and Cole was several meters in front, but not too far.

As the miles wore on, the crowds thinned out. The gaps between the runners lengthened and the leaders pulled farther ahead. Squall, still focused on his running, was startled as something came at him from the side. Taken by surprise, he leaped aside only to realize that he'd passed a watering station and someone was attempting to hand him a paper cup full of water. He reached out and took it, tried a sip and nearly choked, then simply dumped the rest on his head and kept running. He was still working out how to run, breathe, and drink a cup of water at the same time.

The next watering station he passed, Squall fared much better, slowing his strides a little and gulping the water down, this time _without_ inhaling it, and forging on.

It was getting warmer. When they'd started the race, it was warm, but Squall remembered how hot Galbadia could get in summer, and as the race progressed, so did the temperature. They were approaching the stage that wound through a portion of the central desert, and it was not merely warm there, it was actually _hot_. _Very_ hot. For six miles, the course wound through the searing, dry desert, right at the toughest part of the race: the middle.

Squall's breath was coming harder now, his lungs burning as he entered the sere desert. He fought the urge to open his mouth and gasp for air, knowing what that would do to him in the dry heat. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut and concentrated on breathing through his nose. The sweat that soaked his shirt gradually dried as he drew farther into the desert and the dry air sucked the moisture from him. The heat was oppressive, adding weight to his strides and making it harder to maintain his pace. He still kept to his rhythm, his strides never faltering. But it was getting harder to fight through the fatigue that began to dog his steps.

_Keep breathing. Keep running. DO NOT STOP. _Squall's thoughts formed a litany that repeated in tune with his strides. If he kept to his pace, he'd prevail. At this point in the race, he wasn't thinking about winning, just finishing. He'd run farther before in training, he knew he could make it through the course, but he had run the distance alone with only a clock to beat. Several meters ahead of him, Cole still led the race, seemingly unaffected by the desert heat.

Another checkpoint appeared ahead, and Squall gratefully took the proffered cup of water and drank it down. It helped. There were two more checkpoints on this portion of the race, the deadly heat making them necessary for the safety of the racers. Squall passed them both, taking advantage of the water offered, knowing full well how dangerous dehydration could be.

The actual middle of the race came just before they left the desert course. Some of the leaders, those who had attempted to keep pace with Cole, were faltering and beginning to slow. Thus far, Squall hadn't really pushed himself, keeping to a pace he was comfortable with. Squall passed several of those spent runners easily. By no means however, was Squall having an easy time of it himself. His legs felt leaden, the muscles suddenly tight. He fought through it, forcing himself to relax.

_I'm tying up. I can't stop. I won't stop. Ignore the pain Squall; keep running! _His mind lashed his tiring body on, sheer will keeping his flagging strides strong. He kept running. Kept to the beat of breath and heart and stride. He pushed through the wall that he realized he'd just hit, and found his second wind.

Ten miles to go. They were out of the desert now, and fewer runners appeared between Squall and the leader, Cole. More people were dropping back, spent, laboring, and only hanging on to finish, not to win.

Gradually, Squall began to lengthen his strides. Part of his strategy while training was to have a "rabbit" to chase at the end of his long runs; He'd talked Zell into helping him in return for his assistance with sparring. So, Squall would go out on a long, eighteen or twenty mile run and Zell would jump in for the last five miles for Squall to chase. Zell would be fresh and speedy, and Squall tired, but the extra impetus to catch and pass Zell forced him to develop a late kick that could possibly put him over the finish line in first place.

The question was would it be enough to catch the long-striding Cole who was still several meters ahead? Squall didn't know but he'd do his best to find out. He'd purposely refused to look up Cole's world record time. He didn't want to know. He knew what _his_ best time for the distance was, and it was enough to qualify him to run, but he'd already been told it wasn't even close to Cole's best. He didn't care.

A tickle at the back of his mind caused him to shake his head, then he frowned, recognizing it.

"_Elle? What the hell..? You'd BETTER not make me fall asleep!" _he warned her mentally as he loped along, wondering what she wanted.

"_Sorry Squall, I won't, I promise. We just wanted to wish you luck. You're doing great!"_

"_Thanks Sis. We?" _he wondered, then smiled internally as he recognized Rinoa's presence.

"_Hi, Elle said she'd connect me with you, hope you don't mind?" _she sent hesitantly.

"_I can't even be alone inside my own mind now?" _he groused, then he reassured her, _" No, I don't mind." _

"_I just wanted to tell you I know you can win. You're stronger than you know. And I love you." _

"_I love you too. And thanks, both of you." _ The contact ceased, and Squall's focus returned to his race. Buoyed by the encouragement, he increased his pace.

Five miles to go. He was closer now, gaining ground with every stride. But Cole's strides were lengthening too, to an astounding degree. He wasn't falling behind Cole, but he wasn't catching him either. There was nothing but empty space between them, and with just under five miles still to go, Squall worried suddenly that the ground would run out before he caught up to the leader.

_Pick it up Squall! You can do this!_ He ducked his head, took a deep breath and dug deep. He raised his knees and rose onto the balls of his feet. His strides grew longer and smoother. Not a full out sprint, not yet, but still picking up speed. The gap between him and Cole began to narrow.

He had no GF strength to draw on, only his own reserves, which were rapidly dwindling. But he wasn't done yet. Not yet.

_Push harder! _He surged forward, Cole still sailing ahead. Closer. Closer. The crowds lining the streets of Deling City were a noisy blur as Squall and Cole raced toward the finish. It was a _true_ race now, Squall eventually drawing even with Cole as they approached the stadium. Cole glanced over and his eyes widened in surprise to see Squall pacing him.

Cole put on his kick and Squall matched him stride for stride. They hit the track flying, the finish tape just a hundred meters away. Then Squall, gritting his teeth, found another gear and pulled ahead, ignoring pain, ignoring his heart, pounding fit to burst, dragging air into starving lungs as his whole body strained forward. His feet barely touched the ground, and he seemed to take flight, Cole pounding hard right on his heels.

Then the stadium exploded into roaring thunder as he broke the tape, just one stride ahead of the champion.

_Is it over? Did I win?_ He thought dimly, and gradually slowed his strides, concentrating fiercely on staying upright and not simply collapsing, despite the fact that he felt dangerously close to doing exactly that.

_Breathe. Just breathe. And walk. Don't collapse, don't stop moving or you WILL collapse.._ Dazed, exhausted and shaky, he wandered aimlessly, concentrating on simply pulling air into and out of his lungs. Gradually he became aware of people supporting him on either side. He looked to his right and saw his father grinning proudly at him, and on the other side, Ellone.

"Hey." He said breathlessly. He was smothered briefly as they both squeezed him in a hug. He was too tired to protest, instead looking for Rinoa. She cannoned into him so hard he would have fallen over if it hadn't been for the support of his family.

Laughing quietly, he hugged her tightly, then gave her a quick kiss. The moment couldn't last however, as track officials, reporters, teammates and friends converged upon him. He glared in irritation as lights flashed and microphones were thrust into his face.

One of the officials told him his time and he stared at the man, asking him to repeat it, as he wasn't sure he'd heard it right.

"Say that again?" he asked in disbelief.

"You set a new world record Commander Leonhart. The official time is 2:02:22." The man said.

"Great job Squall! We knew you could do it!" Laguna said enthusiastically. Ellone and Rinoa echoed the comment and he was smothered in hugs again.

Then reporters were clamoring for comments and microphones kept popping up in his face and it all got to be too much. He had to get out of there. He was tired, hot, and still needed to cool down; he could already feel his overworked muscles stiffening as he stood there in this crush of humanity.

"I need to get out of here," he said quietly to Rinoa, looking around desperately for an escape. Rinoa glanced at Laguna who nodded in understanding. He was still the President of Esthar, and that position required the constant presence of bodyguards. Laguna didn't like the fact that he needed them and found them intrusive, but in cases like this, they came in handy. At his quiet request, they cleared a path and they made their way off the track.

One intrepid reporter, more dogged than the rest, got her mike out and asked Squall, "You've just won the marathon with a new world record Commander Leonhart, are you planning on competing in the International Games?"

Squall brushed past her, saying, "I'm _really_ tired." He didn't want to make any comments or anything else. He just wanted to relax for a minute, catch his breath and regroup.

Just before they entered the tunnel to go into the locker rooms, the crowd roared again and Squall raised his hand to acknowledge it, feeling a little silly as he did so.

"So," Rinoa asked, "_are_ you going to compete in the International Games Squall?"

He gazed down at her for a moment, then shook his head, "I barely survived _this_. I can't think about doing it _again_ right now."

"Well, you know the press is going to be after you for an answer," Laguna said, adding, "and you'll have to go back out there for the medal presentation." Squall groaned.

"I wish I could just issue a press release like you," he grumbled. They went into the currently empty locker room and Squall reached for his sport bag, taking out a water bottle. It was warm, but he didn't care, he drank it down thirstily.

"I need to stretch, I'm starting to get stiff." He grimaced as he stretched out his legs. They were already starting to hurt; he knew he'd be in serious pain tomorrow. The stretching did help a little bit though; he didn't feel quite as stiff as he had before.

"Feeling better?" Rinoa asked. Squall nodded. The breather had helped him regain his equilibrium, and he felt more prepared to deal with the medal presentation and the press and everything else.

"You ready? They just sent a track official to check on you. They want you back out there." Laguna said.

"Yeah, let's go." Squall said, heading out of the locker room.

As he passed his father, Laguna grinned impishly and said, "I'm sorry son, but I _have_ to do this," and he reached up and rubbed his hand over the top of Squall's closely shorn head.

Squall pushed Laguna's hand aside, glaring at him, and said, "Stop." Ellone and Rinoa stifled their giggles as Squall rolled his eyes and they left the locker room.


	13. Chapter 13: This Is Only a Test

Chapter 13: This Is Only A Test...

Day Two

Events: Track and Field

Mixed Martial Arts

Swimming

"Hey Kev! Hand me a beer, will ya?" Mick called out from the couch in his barracks. Sashi, Carly and Jenna had inexplicably disappeared after the first day of the games. So, instead of watching with them, Mick, Steve and Kev had come to Mick's place to watch the events there.

Kev returned with their beers and he opened his, taking a sip before tuning in for day two's events.

"Did you catch the marathon yesterday?" Mick asked Kev as his friend sat down on the couch with him.

"Yeah. Probably the first time I've seen that particular race finished so closely. It was pretty awesome." Kev said.

"Yeah, Commander Leonhart really made a race of it, didn't he? And he shattered the record in the process. _That _was impressive." Mick commented.

"So when does Irvine's event start?" Steve asked.

"Tomorrow. Track and field is continuing today, and there's also mixed martial arts and swimming." Mick answered. Then he turned up the television as the program came on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this is Kelsie Reynolds from Deling City Action news here at the International Stadium and welcome to day two of the SeeD Games. Today's events include track and field, mixed martial arts and swimming." The blond announcer looked over to her companion, sports analyst Bruce Samson, and he took up the narrative from there.

"That's right Kelsie. And the big story today is on the concluding day of track and field and Balamb Garden's pilot Nida, who is on pace to win the decathlon if he scores well in his final five events. The preliminary bouts for the mixed martial arts tournament start later on today, as well as swimming. So we've got some exciting events happening here today, and if you stick with us, we'll be covering all of it."

"That's right Bruce. I'm Kelsie Reynolds," she said, and her companion chimed in, "and I'm Bruce Samson. Stay tuned after these messages and we'll take you live to the conclusion of the track and field meet and give you the final tally in the hotly contested decathlon."

"So, how's Squall holding up after that run yesterday?" Selphie asked Rinoa. Selphie, Irvine, Ellone, Laguna (and his bodyguards, much to his chagrin) and Quistis met with Rinoa at the stadium to watch the conclusion of the track and field meet, then later that afternoon they were planning on watching Zell's first fight in the mixed martial arts tournament. Squall was down on the field with the team, encouraging them with his presence.

Rinoa found that oddly endearing. He was not the cheerleader type, so enthusiastic jumping up and down and cheering was not something he'd do. _Ever_. But everyone who knew him was aware of this and so a simple nod and a quiet "good job" was encouragement enough. She suspected he was there to support his year-mate Nida in his quest for the decathlon.

She remembered how stung Squall had been at Nida's comment that forgetting about him was "typical" of him. It was during the battle to regain control of Balamb Garden after Norg and Cid had had their falling out and Squall had encountered Nida and aided him in a rather sticky situation. He hadn't shown any sign that it had affected him, indeed had maintained his indifferent attitude for quite some time afterward, but much later he'd confessed to her that it _had _bothered him.

Not long after that, Squall had given Nida the responsibility of piloting the Garden when it had become mobile, thus ensuring that the quiet young man was not completely overlooked. While they hadn't established as close a friendship as Squall had managed with Irvine and Zell, Squall would on occasion play a game of triple triad with Nida.

Turning back to Selphie, Rinoa smiled at her and answered her question, saying, "He was very, _very _sore this morning. Took awhile for him to get moving and work the kinks out, that's for sure."

"Well, I _would_ say he was probably grumbling and complaining the whole time, but I know he's more the suffer-in-silence type." Irvine commented.

Rinoa agreed, "yeah, but he wasn't too grumpy, mainly because I was the one that helped him work the soreness out."

Irvine raised his eyebrows at this and Selphie gave him a punch on his arm, saying "get your mind out of the gutter, she gave him a rubdown you ninny!"

Rinoa's cheeks went pink and she said, "well, yeah.. It started _out_ that way…"

Irvine laughed, "well, that explains why he was in such a good mood this morning!" Everyone laughed at that comment.

Then Laguna turned to Rinoa and asked, "What did Squall decide about that interview request?"

"Interview? Squall?" Irvine asked curiously.

Rinoa nodded, "Yeah, Kelsie Reynolds has been asking Squall for an interview for awhile now, and she's getting very persistent. Especially since he won the marathon. I guess she's been trying to interview as many of the participants as she could and Squall is one of the more interesting personalities here."

"I still think Squall should hire a PR rep to help with things like this. It'll make the process a _lot _less aggravating for him." Laguna said.

"I know but you know how he is. He doesn't want to acknowledge that he _is_ actually that interesting a person. Bottom line is that he just doesn't want to play their game." Rinoa answered with a shrug.

"He's going to have to learn, otherwise they'll start digging and they might turn up things that you don't want leaked to the public." Laguna said seriously.

Rinoa sighed, "I know. Well, he's decided to do the interview. While he doesn't _want_ to play thegame, he's decided that since he's not being given much choice, his best strategy is to play it on _his_ terms."

"Good. Well, if he does the interview right, they'll forget about him as soon as the winner of the next event is announced." Laguna said.

"If nothing else, it's a sound strategy." Quistis commented.

Irvine nodded. The reporter had been trying to get an interview with him as well, but he hadn't been interested in doing it. Not yet. He hadn't done his event yet. So he'd put her off, claming too many time conflicts. And she had indeed been making the rounds doing interviews with as many of the athletes as she could so as to inject some human interest into the games.

Some of those interviews had already been aired, notably Sebastian Cole's interview, just prior to the running of the marathon. Afterward, Kelsie had expressed her frustration on air at her inability to interview the winner and current world record holder, Squall Leonhart, immediately after the conclusion of the race.

Irvine's attention turned back to the field below then he glanced up at the video screen, reading the graphic there listing the current standings in the decathlon. Nida was leading by a wide margin. He'd been performing impressively thus far, winning four of his field events; the pole vault, the high jump, the long jump and the javelin. He'd taken second and third place in the shot put and discus, and in the running events he'd won the hurdles and the 400-meter, and got second place by only a fraction of a second in the 100-meter run. The last event was the 1500-meter run, and if anything, Nida looked stronger than when he'd started.

"Nida looks like he's going to win this," Irvine observed. Nida was running close to the leaders but not quite on the pace yet, reserving his strength for the final drive.

Selphie nodded, "he sure does."

Turning to Quistis, Selphie asked, "How come you didn't bring your boyfriend?"

"He couldn't come. He was too busy." Quistis answered vaguely, watching the runners.

"You're going to have to introduce us to him soon, Quistis, you can' t hide him forever." Rinoa said.

"I know. He's just a very busy guy. Trust me, you'll meet him pretty soon." Quistis smiled at her.

"You'd better hurry it up Quisty or we'll have to get the guys involved and track this fellow down. _Nobody_ wants a repeat of what happened with your last boyfriend." Selphie warned her.

"I still can't believe that both Squall _and_ Irvine threatened to kill him." Quistis said.

"Argue all you want Quistis, but we both know the bastard deserved much worse than he got." Irvine said flatly. Rinoa and Selphie both nodded in agreement.

Then the gun fired off the signal for the final lap of the race and Nida leaped into action, overtaking the leaders and roaring down the final stretch in a blazing turn of speed. He broke the tape several meters in front of the rest of the runners, winning the race and the decathlon decisively.

As he charged down the stretch, Quistis leaped up yelling and cheering, "GO! GO! Nida! You got it! Whoo-hoo!" Selphie and Rinoa, also cheering, suddenly stopped and stared at each other wide-eyed.

"_Nida_? Seriously?" Selphie asked Rinoa, who shrugged as Quistis, ignoring them, abandoned her seat and went out onto the field.

They all stared in shock as Quistis grabbed Nida in a big hug and he gave her a passionate kiss, right in the middle of the track.

"Wow." Irvine said, "Who knew?"

* * *

"I still can't believe you managed to get tickets to this!" Jenna said as they made their way into the venue for the mixed martial arts tournament. Sashi had come into her room that morning, crowing that she'd gotten some tickets to the event and they were leaving _right that minute._ They'd tried contacting Carly to invite her along but unfortunately she wasn't able to make it.

"Well, it helps to have a friend on the inside." Sashi answered as the found their seats. Jenna was amazed; they were in a section so close to the ring that they'd be sitting on the apron if they were any closer.

"Who, Irvine?" Jenna asked curiously.

She was confused when Sashi answered, "Well, yeah but I didn't get the tickets from Irvine."

"So who gave 'em to you then?" Jenna pressed.

"Zell. He's such a sweetie." Sashi answered. Jenna started to comment on that but was distracted as Irvine and Selphie came in, followed by Squall and Rinoa, and Laguna and Ellone and their ever-present security detail.

"Hey guys! How're you doing?" Irvine greeted them enthusiastically, giving both Sashi and Jenna a hug before stepping back and putting his arm firmly around Selphie. Jenna smiled to herself, honestly happy that he'd worked things out with his girlfriend.

Then she caught sight of the brilliant yellow diamond on Selphie's ring finger and she couldn't help smiling at her, asking, "Is that what I think it is?"

Selphie nodded, answering, "Yes it is."

"Have you guys set a date yet?" Jenna asked, curious.

"Not yet, we're still working on that." Selphie said, smiling.

"It's cool you could be here, but how'd you manage to get the tickets?" Irvine asked.

"Zell called me up the other night and asked if Jenna, Carly and I wanted to come. When I said yes, he said he'd have the tickets waiting for me when I got here." Sashi answered.

"That was nice of him." Rinoa commented.

"Great job on that marathon by the way Squall, that was really impressive." Sashi said with a grin.

"Thanks, but I think Nida winning the decathlon for Balamb's team was even more impressive than that. I just ran one event. He did _ten_, and won most of them." Squall said. Jenna nodded in agreement. She'd caught the tail end of the track meet and saw the dark-haired young man flying across the finish line in Balamb's team colors on the large video screen.

Then he'd proceeded to passionately kiss a gorgeous blond woman, presumably his girlfriend, who'd met him at the finish of the race. It was probably one of the most heartwarming images that had been filmed thus far during the games.

"That's true. _But_, you broke a world record." Sashi said.

Squall shrugged, "I didn't _mean_ to…" Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie and everyone else burst out laughing at that comment.

"We know Squall, you _had_ to in order to win." Laguna said with a grin. Squall sighed.

"We'd better go ahead and sit down, they'll be coming out to start this pretty soon." Squall said, suiting action to words.

When Jenna and Sashi glanced over at Laguna, they both did a double take.

"We're sitting near the _President of Esthar_ Sashi." Jenna whispered.

"I know," Sashi whispered back. "He's almost as handsome as Squall is."

"Well, he _is_ Squall's father…" Jenna began, and Sashi interrupted her, "What?"

"You didn't know? Don't you watch the news? Remember two years ago when President Loire came here on that diplomatic mission and there was some sort of assassination attempt made?" Jenna asked her.

Sashi frowned, "I only remember it vaguely, I was in boot camp during that time and didn't have time to do _anything_."

"President Loire had hired SeeDs as his security escort, and the leader of that detail was Squall. The assassination attempt was a failure but Squall was shot and nearly killed, and during the investigation it came out that President Loire was actually Squall's long-lost father." Jenna explained.

"Wow." Sashi marveled, studying both men and suddenly seeing the resemblance. No wonder the press was so interested in Squall Leonhart. She could tell he didn't much appreciate the interest, preferring to keep his private life as private as possible. Unfortunately, being the acknowledged son of the leader of a powerful country, plus having accomplished exploits that were well on their way to becoming legend, tended to increase the public's fascination with him.

"Hey! Sashi! Jenna! Thanks for coming!" Zell said, bounding energetically up to them and enveloping both girls in a hug as they stood to greet him. He was wearing a blue and silver silk robe and his hands and feet were already taped up and ready for his first bout. Sashi smiled as his blue eyes sparked in excitement.

Looking around, he asked, "Where's Carly, did she come?"

Jenna shook her head, "no, she couldn't make it."

"Well, darn," Zell said, then he grinned, asking, "you ever see a MMA tournament before?" Both girls shook their heads.

"Watch and learn ladies. This is for real, full contact and pretty much anything goes except for weapons. Any style of fighting is allowed, no holds are barred and the only rules are no cheap shots below the belt, biting or gouging. Its gonna get _intense_!" Zell answered.

Irvine nodded, "You'd better bet it will. Better get your tail in there Dincht before they disqualify you."

Zell looked around, startled to see an official motioning him over to the closest of the rings set up in the venue.

Waving at them all he left with a parting request, "wish me luck guys!" and he hurried over to the ring.

In the interest of time, there were actually two rings set up in the venue, so that two fights could take place at the same time. This would speed along the preliminaries and when the final two fighters were left, _that_ bout would take place at the main auditorium in Deling City's convention center downtown.

The tournament would be fought in several rounds, with the winner advancing to the next round. This first day promised to be a long one as eight fights would take place before it was concluded, narrowing the original sixteen qualified fighters to eight. The next day would reduce them to four, and then finally to two.

It was pretty simple to win. A win was gained either by knockout, pinfall or submission; or more rarely, a decision by the referee.

Sashi watched as Zell danced outside the ring, warming up. Then he put in his mouthpiece, removed his robe and got into the ring. Jenna and Sashi both exchanged a glance, mouthing _"wow"_ at Zell's frankly impressive physique.

Sashi remembered him from the graduation celebration and while they'd gone out a couple of times since then, it had been just as friends. He'd been too busy training for the tournament for anything more to develop. Yet. Sashi had had _no_ idea that Zell was this… _built_. He was obviously in shape for the fight, and Sashi couldn't hide her appreciation of his ripped abs and muscular chest and arms.

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Irvine commented softly to Selphie, "I think Zell's just stolen Squall's biggest fan." Selphie glanced over and stifled a laugh at Sashi's rapt expression.

The bell rang to start the round and Zell came out swinging. His opponent was good, but no match for the martial artist. The fight was over in just under three minutes with Zell landing a devastating uppercut to his hapless victim's chin, knocking him out cold. The bell rang and the referee raised Zell's hand, declaring him the winner, advancing him to the next round, which would take place the next day.

He wiped himself off with a towel and put his robe back on and came back to them, barely winded. He'd scarcely even broken a sweat.

Nodding at Squall and Irvine, he said, "I don't think I've thanked you guys for helping me train. It wouldn't have been this easy for me if we hadn't worked together on this."

"Don't get cocky, you've still got two more elimination rounds to go," Squall warned.

"I know. It'll get harder from here, but if nothing else, having you chase me every other day has certainly helped my endurance." Zell said.

Sashi gave them a puzzled look and asked, "Squall chased you?"

Zell laughed, "Yeah. I needed someone to spar with, and both Irvine and Squall took turns helping me out with that, and in return I got to be Squall's "rabbit" on his training runs. I'd jump in on the last five miles of his runs and make him chase me down."

"See, now that's what you call _teamwork._" Irvine said. Jenna and Sashi nodded in agreement.

"Did he ever catch you?" Jenna asked.

Zell nodded, "A couple of times. I made him work for it though."

"It obviously worked, for both of you." Sashi said. Jenna nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm gonna go ahead and shower and change. I didn't get too sweaty today but what the heck. I'll be back in a few minutes." Zell said, smiling at Sashi and Jenna before leaving.

"You two going to hang out here and watch the rest of the matches?" Irvine asked.

Sashi nodded, "Sure, looks like fun." Jenna agreed.

Zell joined them a few minutes later and seated himself next to Sashi. The remainder of the event was spent with him watching the other fighters intently, periodically answering questions that both Sashi and Jenna asked him about the fights and the rules.

About midway through Squall had to leave and he kissed Rinoa and said his farewells to everyone else before he left.

"Where's Squall going?" Selphie asked.

"He's going to do his interview with Kelsie Reynolds." Rinoa answered.

"I'm kind of surprised you aren't going with him." Selphie commented.

"He'll be okay. We did a sort of mock interview last night. Laguna helped us out, he's got a lot of experience with this sort of thing." Rinoa said.

"When's it going to air?" Selphie asked.

"It should be on tonight's newscast." Rinoa answered.

When the last fight was concluded, Zell invited both Sashi and Jenna to dinner, and Irvine shook his head, laughing softly.

"What?" Selphie asked.

"Zell. With _both_ of those girls? Who'd have thought that?" He replied, amused.

Then he called out, "Hey Zell! Take 'em to Pike's Place! Save the hotdogs for another date!"

"Yo, Irvine!" Zell called back as he was leaving, "Bite me!" Jenna and Sashi started laughing.

"Says the wiener ninja!" Irvine shot back, and Selphie and Rinoa joined in the laughter. Zell flipped him the bird as he left with Jenna and Sashi.

* * *

After they'd had dinner Irvine and Selphie went back to his room to see if they could catch Squall's interview. Irvine, for his part, was interested in seeing how Squall handled it, first of all, and how the reporter, Kelsie Reynolds, conducted it. He'd returned one of her voicemails earlier informing her that he'd be willing to do an interview but it would have to be after his first round of shooting tomorrow. Selphie was actually kind of excited about it; Irvine wasn't sure how _he _felt. Both excited and apprehensive, he figured.

So, he kicked back on his sofa with his arm around Selphie and turned on the T.V. to check it out.

"I still can't believe Squall actually decided to do this," Irvine commented.

"Well, I guess it was either that or be dodging them forever, and Squall isn't the sort to run and hide." Selphie replied.

"True. Well, let's see how he handles it." Irvine said as the news program began.

"Hi, this is Kelsie Reynolds from Deling City Action news evening edition, and tonight we have an exclusive interview with the enigmatic and elusive Commander Squall Leonhart, captain of Balamb Garden's team in the SeeD games and Commander of the Balamb Garden SeeDs."

Turning to Squall, who was watching her warily, she gave him a brilliant smile and said, "first of all, thank you for coming, Commander Leonhart, I understand that you're an extremely busy person with all that you're doing commanding the SeeDs and competing in the games. That can't be easy for you to do, balancing all of that." She commented. She waited for a response, beginning to worry when the silence stretched.

Squall shrugged, finally replying, "It isn't. I couldn't do it without the support of my staff and friends. They've stepped up and helped me out immensely." Kelsie sighed silently in relief. She'd worried about the interview with Squall, knowing his reputation of being by turns either curt, hostile or simply uncooperative with the press in the past. And that was _if_ they even managed to speak with him.

As she interviewed him, she studied him covertly. His attitude was alert, a little edgy bordering on unfriendly, and definitely cautious, and for the life of her Kelsie couldn't figure out what his problem with the press was, because he was a very photogenic young man. Even with his new, severely military haircut, the ratings for this interview among the female demographic would soar. At least he hadn't gone full military for the interview and shown up in uniform, which would have just been too much. Instead he was casually dressed in black jeans and a deep forest green button up shirt, which was open at the collar, showing a flash of platinum at his neck from the necklace that was currently hiding under his shirt. An echoing flash of platinum on his ring finger reminded her that he'd gotten married fairly recently. A glittering blue-green gem accented his left earlobe. In or out of uniform, Squall Leonhart was undeniably attractive.

She suddenly regretted agreeing to his stipulation of no personal questions, because there were a good baker's dozen of them that she'd love to ask and was constrained not to.

"How were you helped?" Kelsie prompted, hoping he'd elaborate.

"Instructor Quistis Trepe served as my backup when I couldn't be in my office all the time, as did Xu. They kept things running smoothly and gave me the time I needed to train for the games. My friends Zell Dincht and Irvine Kinneas helped with the training, Zell especially. And finally there's Seifer Almasy who's one of my training partners for the gunblade fencing." Squall answered.

Kelsie's eyebrows rose, and she asked, "Seifer Almasy? Wasn't he wanted a few years back for his involvement in the Sorceress War? How is it he's back at Balamb Garden and a SeeD?"

The newswoman almost shuddered suddenly as the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees at her question.

Squall eyes had hardened to chips of blue ice as he leaned forward and answered, "Balamb Garden claimed jurisdiction in that matter as we were the ones most directly harmed by his actions, and because he was a cadet at Balamb Garden at the time. Appropriate punishment was meted out, with certain extenuating circumstances being taken into account in its administration. Almasy has since met all requirements to become a SeeD and has performed admirably in that office." He held her gaze, challenging her, daring her to press the issue. He had no compunctions about simply getting up and leaving if pushed too far.

She covered her sudden discomfort by taking a sip of water. She didn't actually think it would be an easy interview by any means. She also didn't think it would be this difficult, either.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "By all accounts, you two have a strong rivalry that goes back a long way. How has that played into this competition?"

Squall's intense, almost confrontational attitude relaxed slightly as the questioning went on a different tack, and he answered, "it's certainly pushed each of us to do our best. How that ends up in the competition itself remains to be seen."

"Talking about the games, I have to ask you about that marathon run. That had to have been the most exciting finish to that particular race that anyone has seen in a _long _time. What was going through your mind as you realized you'd won it?" Kelsie asked, expression alive with curiosity. His behavior after the race had been puzzling, to say the least. Most athletes upon winning in such grand style were happy, elated and willing to comment to anyone who asked. By contrast, Squall had withdrawn abruptly from the field for a few minutes, to emerge later looking as though nothing had happened. He had offered neither comments nor explanations for his actions, and had spoken to _no_ _one_.

His only comment was made as he left the track, saying, "I'm _very_ tired." It was undoubtedly true, he'd looked exhausted, and if Kelsie could hazard a guess, the publicity shy young man was also likely overwhelmed by the sudden crush of people that had descended upon him.

Squall sighed, and then answered, "the only thing that was on my mind as I crossed the finish line was to breathe and stay on my feet so I wouldn't fall over." Kelsie laughed slightly before realizing that the young man was serious.

"Well it was certainly an incredible effort, breaking a world record on your first outing. Nobody thought you'd even come close to winning it, going by your qualifying time. Very impressive." She said warmly, congratulating him.

The newswoman was surprised by his next comment however as he said, "It was a tough race, to be sure, but it was the only event I did that day. What was _really _impressive, at least to _me_, was the fact that one of my teammates, Nida, won the decathlon today. Ten events, and he won most of them."

"That _is _impressive." Kelsie agreed, then asked, "according to the schedule Commander Leonhart, you have two more events, the gunblade fencing and the A-level combine. Do you feel like you'll be recovered enough from the effort you expended in the marathon to be at your best in these two events?"

Squall nodded, answering simply, "yes."

The newswoman waited a moment, and when he didn't seem inclined to elaborate, she said, "Well, thank you Commander Leonhart for sharing your valuable time with us. Good luck on your remaining events."

"Thank you." He responded gravely. As the interview wrapped, Kelsie sighed. It hadn't been as bad as she'd feared, but the whole interview he hadn't even come close to smiling. She wondered briefly why he was so guarded before she remembered his profession. She supposed it had to be second nature to him to be cautious about what he discussed. About midway through the interview though, she'd felt as though she should have had a whip and chair handy, just in case.

After the interview concluded, Irvine shut off the television, chuckling.

"Is it just me, or did Squall really go into his 'crouching lion' routine?" he asked.

"You mean when that reporter asked him about Seifer? Yeah, looks like he did, doesn't it?" Selphie said.

Irvine yawned, realizing it was getting late and he had his event starting early the next morning.

"At least she had the sense to focus on the games after that. I think he kind of scared her a little." Irvine commented.

"Squall can be intimidating when he wants to be." Selphie observed.

Irvine snorted, "When he wants to be. Which is most of the time, if you ask me."

"Yeah, he's still not much of a people person is he? We've gotten to know him so well we tend to forget that, don't we?" Selphie commented.

"It kind of depends on his mood too. He obviously wasn't in the mood to be messed with during _that_ interview." Irvine said. Selphie nodded.

Then Irvine suddenly grinned rakishly at Selphie, saying, "How about you darlin'? Are _you_ in the mood to be messed with?"

Selphie made a great show of thinking about it, saying slowly, "I don't know, depends on what you mean by being 'messed with'."

Pulling her close, Irvine said in a low voice, "baby, you _know_ what I mean.."

"Yeah," Selphie said breathlessly, "I think I do."

"Good." Irvine murmured, kissing her.

As always, he lost himself in her taste, touch and texture, content to simply enjoy the moment. Eventually however, they both had to breathe and he broke off for a moment, smiling at her.

"Let's go to bed sweetheart." He said softly.

Day three

Events: Shooting

Mixed Martial Arts

Swimming

Rugby

The first round of Irvine's shooting event was the first of the day's contests. He'd had to get up very early indeed to make it out to the shooting range in time, bringing Selphie with him.

"So, are you excited about this?" Selphie asked him.

Irvine shrugged, "A little bit. The first round won't be too hard, just basic stuff. The tough stuff starts tomorrow."

"You can do it." Selphie said confidently.

Irvine smiled at her, warmed by her faith in him. He did admit to a little bit of apprehension about the coming contest, but not a great deal. He knew his abilities. He thought about the other competitors in the contest, allowing that some of them were indeed very good. But he'd scoped out their scores and didn't see any that could match his. So, he was cautiously optimistic about his chances, while doing his best to avoid overconfidence.

Upon arriving at the shooting range, Irvine was amazed to see the number of cars and people there. A shooting competition wouldn't seem to be the most exciting event in the games, the action consisting mostly of the participants focusing and shooting at their assigned targets. But, there was still a good-sized crowd present.

After parking his truck, they exited and Irvine gave Selphie a soft kiss and hugged her tightly.

"Love you sweetie. I'll see you later." He said, kissing her again.

"Good luck baby. And I love you too." She smiled. She left to join the rest of the spectators, while Irvine flipped the driver's seat of his truck forward and reached behind it for his gun case. Then he strode toward the area where the other participants were gathering.

He checked in with the Range Officer, double checked the time for his first event, and took a moment to check on his equipment and ammunition to make sure it was the correct, allowable type. He couldn't use his Exeter in _this _competition, it was a custom made weapon and not within the allowable standard. He had a competition-ready .22-caliber rifle that he would use instead; along with an appropriate handgun for the pistol course he was also competing in. For the long course however, his Exeter _did _meet the official requirements, and he would be using it in the 1000-meter sharp shooting contest. The competition rifle was lighter and had a longer barrel, but Irvine had practiced with it intensively, so he was confident his performance with this weapon would be no different than it would be with his Exeter.

His first event was the three-position shoot. Each round would have ten targets shot within an allotted time. First round would be lying prone, second round kneeling, and the final round standing. For this competition Galbadia's shooting range had instituted electronic targets that would automatically record and score each shot that struck them. Irvine was somewhat dubious about that, having never encountered them before.

The Range Officer announced the pending start of the three-position shoot and Irvine, along with all the other competitors, approached their assigned positions on the firing line. He took out his .22, laid it on the ground with the bolt open, muzzle pointed toward the target, and took out ten bullets and lined them up within easy reach. Then he put on his shooting glasses, put in his earplugs, tugged his hat down over his eyes, and laid down, shifting until he was comfortable as he waited for the order to start. He'd already told the Range Officer to set up one sighting target for him. He was allowed up to five, but he'd told the man that he only needed one sighting shot.

There was no scope on his rifle. They weren't allowed at this distance. That wasn't a problem for him however; his keen eyes could use the target sight without any trouble.

The Range Officer inspected the firing line, saw that all participants were ready and waiting, and then he gave the order.

"START"

Irvine quickly loaded and fired his sighting shot, hitting the sighting target dead center. Ejecting the brass, he loaded again and when the competition target came up, focused, sighted in and shot it. Again, dead center. Each target that came up, it was the same. At the distance he was shooting, only 50-meters, he could do it all day. He shot through all ten of his allotted targets in the prone position without at single miss, and left his bolt open until the Range Officer called time and ordered everyone to stop.

The next round was in a kneeling position. Again, Irvine prepared himself, and waited for the order. It was a little more challenging, keeping the rifle steady in that position, but Irvine handled it without any trouble, and shot through that round without a single miss as well. Thus far, he hadn't missed a single target and all of them had been dead center of the bull's-eye. The Range Officer ordered them to stop, concluding that round.

The final round was standing. Still more challenging since each contestant had to load and fire only one bullet per target. They were not allowed to load their magazines with more than one bullet. So he had to load, sight, shoot, eject the brass and reload. He put his allotted bullets into the pocket of his duster and shouldered his rifle, sighting in on the target once again and shooting it perfectly. He did that for each target until he'd shot through them all. No misses, all dead center.

The next test, prone 100-meter rifle, was the same, as was the 25 and 50-meter pistol. By this point, people were beginning to take notice of his scores and how he managed, on _every_ shot, to hit the target perfectly in the center. By the time he got to the rapid-fire pistol course, Irvine was leading the standings impressively.

The rapid-fire course was a departure from the norm in this competition, in that each contestant went through what was essentially a timed obstacle course shooting six targets that would pop up at random. It was also known as the precision course, because it tested both the speed and precision of the contestant going through it.

It was not simply sight and fire. The participant also had to run through the obstacle course, shoot all six targets and finish within an allotted time. It was the only course that allowed the contestants to load more than one bullet into their pistol, in this case, six. And only six.

Despite the fact that this was a speed and precision test, it was going to take the longest to complete because each person had to go through it one at a time. It was difficult, it was challenging, and it was exciting, both to watch and to compete. It was also the last event of the day.

By the time it was Irvine's turn to run the course, the afternoon sun was slanting strongly through the course, the mellow golden light intensifying the shadows and adding a visibility challenge to the variables on the course. The course was won by the best shooting score combined with the best time, so Irvine had his work cut out for him.

Irvine stepped up to the start of the course, loaded his pistol, and waited for the signal.

"START!" Ordered the Range Officer.

Irvine took off at a dead run, headed toward the first target. As it popped up, he raised his pistol, sighted and fired without pause, then turned to his right, headed toward the maze and his next target. He weaved his way through the maze, watching closely, and as the next target came up, he shot it and continued on. Accuracy was important, but so was speed. So Irvine was willing to sacrifice a little bit on the accuracy part. However, the first two targets had both been hit dead center, and barring an unforeseen disaster, Irvine didn't think he'd have any trouble with the remainder.

He charged out of the maze and three targets presented nearly simultaneously. He shot them each in turn, running toward the finish, and then briefly holstered his pistol as he came up to a low barrier, vaulting it and pulling his pistol out to shoot the final target and race across the finish line.

Breathing hard, Irvine waited for the Range Officer to inspect his pistol and verify that all rounds had been shot. Then he waited anxiously as the final score for the day was tallied. It flashed onto the board and he laughed breathlessly. Waving jubilantly at the crowd as they cheered his score, he got the all clear from the officials that the event was over and ran over to where Selphie sat and picked her up with a big bear hug.

He'd finished the precision course with the fastest time, _and_ had not missed a single target. Irvine finished the day's shooting firmly in the lead.


	14. Chapter 14: A Hard Day's Fight

Chapter 14: A Hard Day's Fight.

Day four

Events: Shooting

Mixed Martial Arts

Swimming

Rugby

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to day four of the SeeD games! Today's events include the final round of shooting, the final bout for the Mixed Martial Arts, and the finals for swimming and rugby. But first, just a quick recap of yesterday's events; in swimming, the White SeeD team is dominating, with Sal Teriano so far winning the men's 400-meter freestyle, the 100-meter backstroke and the 200-meter breaststroke. For the women's team, it's Balamb's Selena Goram who is leading the standings in diving and Arian Kuraki, who won the women's 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke and the 4X100 meter relay. In the mixed martial arts; the news here is Balamb's Zell Dincht, who went virtually undefeated in the qualifying bouts leading up to the games, losing only one by a decision. Thus far in this tournament, Zell has defeated all of his opponents, advancing to this, the final round." The blond newswoman said.

Her sports analyst partner, Bruce, picked up where she left off, saying, "That's correct Kelsie, but Dincht may have met his match in this final test, going up against the Galbadian Giant, Andrew Benson. In the shooting competition, Balamb's Irvine Kinneas is leading the pack so far with perfect scores in all of his events. Finally, in rugby, an upset took place yesterday with little-known Trabia handing Galbadia's team a stunning defeat. In the final game today, Trabia goes up against heavily favored Balamb. The team standings so far have the host team, Galbadia, in the lead, with Balamb close behind in second place. The White SeeDs are in third place, and Esthar and Trabia are tied for fourth."

The morning recap of the previous day's games continued on the television as Irvine and Selphie got ready for the next day of his event. Zell's final bout was the main event that evening at the convention center, and everyone was planning on being there to support him.

After finishing his coffee, he shut off the TV and both he and Selphie left.

"So, what events are you doing today Irvy?" Selphie asked as they walked out to his truck.

"Sharpshooting, single and double-trap, and skeet." Irvine answered, making sure he'd brought along his favorite shotgun as well as his Exeter.

Upon reaching the shooting range, Irvine gave Selphie a quick kiss as they parted company, she to go to the seating area, and he to check in for his events that day.

The trap and skeet events that morning were Irvine's favorites, and he enjoyed them immensely. So much so in fact, that when he'd shot all of his targets in the skeet shoot, he nearly asked for another go round before remembering that this was a _competition._ That relaxed attitude however had served him well during those events, as he only missed one target in the double-trap, and none at all in the skeet.

The next event for him was the one that mattered the most. The sharp-shooting event; _this_ Irvine was deadly serious about. This was his stock in trade, his bread and butter. Winning it didn't matter so much to him as simply hitting his target, each and every time. He could care less about the points he was accumulating in the process.

For this event, and this event only, scopes were allowed. They had to be inspected and conform to a certain standard, but once passed by the Range Officer, there was no restriction in their use. Irvine's equipment had already been inspected and passed, so he simply had to wait his turn to shoot the targets set out.

They were scheduled to do it in rounds. Each participant first shot a series of targets at 600-meters, then 800-meters, and then finally 1000-meters. Irvine was slightly disappointed at that last, hoping they'd go up to the maximum distance of 1500-meters that the range was capable of. It sounded easy, particularly since all participants were allowed to use optics for the event. It was not. At extreme distances, the bullet would gradually lose momentum and start to drop. It wasn't enough to simply put the bull's-eye in the crosshairs of the scope and pull the trigger. The amount of drop had to be calculated and compensated for. The sighting shots allowed for each contestant were vitally important for this process of "sighting in" or calibrating the optics.

Irvine planned on using all five of his allowed sighting shots when it came to his turn, to make sure his sight was dead on. While he was waiting, he studied the conditions of the course. The wind was nominal; Galbadia Garden had taken great pains on this part of the course to provide as much windbreak as possible, so the wind would have to be very strong indeed to prove a factor in the accuracy of a shot. Irvine already knew how much powder was in the shells he was using. Unfortunately, he could not use his custom-loaded shells, everyone in the competition had to have comparable ammunition. But he knew the specs of the ammo he had to use, and from there knew the estimated muzzle velocity of each bullet.

"Kinneas. You're up."

Irvine nodded and went to his assigned position. He loaded his rifle and made sure his scope was firmly attached, then waited for the Range Officer.

"Sighting shots?" The man asked.

"Five." Irvine answered. The official nodded. Irvine settled himself and waited for the go ahead.

"Okay. Sighting shots first. Start!"

Irvine focused on his target, peering through his scope and lining up the crosshairs with the bull's eye. He took a steadying breath, then squeezed the trigger. At 600-meters, he should have hit it dead center. He frowned when he peered through the scope again to find that he'd missed the bull's eye by a millimeter. He ejected the casing and reloaded, wondering how he'd missed. He adjusted his scope and when the second sighting target came up, he took aim again and fired.

_This _shot was better. It was in the black, but not dead center. Not yet. Irvine adjusted his sight one more time, ejected the brass again and reloaded, then aimed carefully at his third sighting target. He closed both eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then calm and steady, he pulled the trigger. The shot hit dead center of the bull's eye. _Now THAT'S what I'm talking about…_ Irvine thought. He shot two more sighting shots to make sure of his aim and his sight's calibration, and was satisfied when both hit dead center.

All of his competition shots following his sighting shots were dead center hits. No misses.

When Irvine's turn came up in the 800-meter round, he did the same thing, carefully calibrating his sight before shooting his round. The result was the same as his first round; all bull's eye hits, no misses.

All too soon, it was Irvine's turn for the final round, the 1000-meter shoot. He was under no illusions about how easy it would be. It wouldn't be easy at all. But he was also confident in his abilities. Up to this point, his equipment had performed flawlessly, and while he was starting to feel a bit of strain about the eyes, they were still keen as lasers.

Like the previous rounds, Irvine started out with his sighting shots, making sure his sight was as accurate as he could get it. At 1000 meters, the black bulls-eye looked almost as small as a pinpoint, even with his optics adjusted to the distance. His first sighting shot was slightly off, but still in the black. He adjusted his aim, and tried again. He squinted into the scope and confirmed that the shot struck true. Likewise with the next three sighting shots.

The next shot would be counted as a competition shot. Irvine paused for a moment, rubbing at his temples and closing his eyes for a moment. The intense concentration and focus that he'd had to maintain for much of the day was beginning to wear on him, just a little bit. But this was the last round. Settling himself again, Irvine peered into his scope, took aim and fired. He saw the shot hit the center of the target, and he ejected the brass, reloaded, and got ready for his next target. Methodically, deliberately, just as he'd done in Dollet all those weeks ago, he shot each target dead center.

By the time he'd finished up his last round, Irvine knew he'd won.

* * *

That evening, Irvine and Selphie made their way to their seats at the venue set up for the title bout of the MMA tournament. Squall and Rinoa were already in their seats, with Ellone and Laguna sitting nearby. Irvine grinned at Selphie as he recognized Sashi and her roommate also in attendance.

"Hey guys," Irvine greeted them as he and Selphie sat down next to Squall and Rinoa.

"Hey." Squall responded. Irvine gazed around at the crowd, amazed at the number of people present. Since it was essentially a title bout, he shouldn't have been surprised, it _was_ one of the reasons that the convention center was chosen for the final fight. Still, seeing so many people in one place was awe-inspiring.

"So, what do you think man? Does Zell have a chance against this Galbadian dude?" Irvine asked Squall. Squall shrugged.

"You tell me. I don't follow the rankings, so I have no idea how good this guy is." Squall said.

"I remember him, vaguely, from when I was a cadet here. He was always tops in the hand-to-hand tournaments that they'd have from time to time. So I guess going by that, he _has_ to be pretty good. Mostly though, he's just huge." Irvine said.

Squall turned to look at him, curious, asking, "_how _huge? They call him the Galbadian Giant, but you know how people exaggerate with stuff like that."

"Its not an exaggeration with this guy. He _is_ huge. Almost as big as Ward." Irvine answered.

"Seriously?" Selphie asked. Irvine nodded.

"Sounds like Zell's going to have his work cut out for him." Squall commented.

"It won't be an easy fight, that's for sure. But you and I know, its not _just_ size that wins a battle, right?" Irvine said. Squall nodded. They both knew how quick and agile Zell was. What he lacked in size, weight and reach, he could make up for in skill, agility, and speed.

"How could they even pit Zell against someone that big? Don't they have weight categories or something like that?" Selphie asked.

"That's boxing. This is completely different. It's an open tournament, which means no restrictions on fighting styles aside from no weapons, and no weight classes. You take on all comers in one of these." Irvine answered.

"So, Zell gets to fight a guy nearly twice his size? That doesn't sound fair." Rinoa said.

Squall shrugged, "I've seen him take on bigger and nastier opponents and come out the winner."

"Me too." Irvine agreed.

"When? I don't remember seeing him go up against anyone _that_ big." Selphie asked.

Squall and Irvine exchanged a look and Irvine said, "Uh, you girls weren't there."

"Weren't _where_?" Rinoa asked, curiously. Squall cleared his throat, suddenly looking uncomfortable, and scratched at the back of his head.

"You don't want to know." He said.

Irvine chuckled at that, saying, "Might as well tell her Squall, it's been a year." Squall glared at him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rinoa said, folding her arms and frowning at them both.

"I thought we agreed that we'd never talk about it. _Ever_." Squall said, still glaring at Irvine.

"Well, you know she's never going to let it rest Squall, so you might as well tell her and get it over with." Irvine said reasonably.

"I am _so_ going to kill you Irvine. Payback's a bitch, remember that." Squall said casually.

"Ok, so now we know it's something that Squall _really_ doesn't want known, which usually means its horribly embarrassing, I am absolutely _dying_ to find out what it is. So, Irvine, shut up and Squall _spill it_." Selphie ordered.

Squall sighed, "_fine_." He scratched at the back of his neck again and Rinoa stifled a giggle, knowing that he only did that when he was uncomfortable or nervous.

"I guess I inadvertently opened this can of worms in the first place with my comment about the size of Zell's opponents." Squall said ruefully, then he continued, "The opponent in question was a seven-foot tall longshoreman we ran afoul of in a bar in FH." He paused, hoping that would be good enough, but no such luck.

"I assume there's more." Rinoa said.

Squall cleared his throat, "yeah, there is. Do you remember when I disappeared for three days about a week before our wedding?"

"Yeah," Rinoa said, adding, "I knew you'd said you were not going to have a bachelor party but I figured you'd changed your mind."

"_I_ didn't change my mind, this joker over here changed it _for _me." Squall jerked his thumb at Irvine, who shrugged, unrepentant.

"The bar in question was a..uh…_cabaret_ in one of the roughest areas in FH. I'm still not sure exactly _why_ we were there, because we'd started out at the Shumi Village Casino in Trabia. Anyway, one of the dancers at this club really developed a… a _thing_ for me.." Squall said, looking more and more embarrassed as he recounted his tale.

"A _thing_." Rinoa repeated. Squall nodded, grimacing.

"A pretty serious _thing_, as I recall," Irvine commented, trying to look innocent.

Squall glared at him again, saying shortly, "don't help." Irvine chuckled.

"_Anyway_, her _boyfriend_, the aforementioned longshoreman, took exception to this, and decided to take his frustrations out on me. Well, it wouldn't do to have his bar busted up so the owner threw us all out to settle our differences outdoors." Squall said.

"Ok, so where does Zell come in?" Rinoa asked.

"I'm getting to that, be patient." Squall smiled and kissed her briefly, and then he continued, "Well, I was…um… really in no condition to take on anyone, particularly this monster. And while I could have simply summoned a couple of Guardians and been done with it, I really didn't want to kill the guy over something that stupid. So Irvine got this brilliant idea to propose a wager to this fellow."

"It _was_ brilliant too, wasn't it?" Irvine interrupted, earning a stony glare from Squall.

"Do _you_ want to tell this story?" He demanded. Irvine shook his head.

"Irvine bet this guy, what was it, three hundred gil?" Squall asked looking over at Irvine, and Irvine nodded, confirming that it was the correct amount.

"He bet this fellow three hundred gil that Zell could kick his ass in less than five minutes. And tough as he is, Zell _is_… well, _short_. So this longshoreman figured that this little guy would be a piece of cake to take care of, he'd have an extra three hundred gil and still be able to pound _me_ into slag." Squall shook his head, chuckling as he continued, "I _still_ don't know how Zell did it, and I watched him take this guy on. All I remember is Zell hopping around like a madman, ducking and dodging everything this guy threw at him. Then he took out the guy's knees, and while he was down got him into some kind of submission hold. He basically wrapped this guy up like a pretzel. And that was it. The guy was down, and try as he might, he couldn't get out of the hold Zell had on him without seriously hurting himself. Zell won the fight, Irvine collected three hundred gil off the guy and we all got out of there with our hides intact."

"Well, it's an interesting story, but I don't see what was so embarrassing about it Squall," Selphie said, disappointed.

"You've never seen him drunk." Irvine said with a wicked grin. Squall groaned. Selphie and Rinoa exchanged a glance.

"Come to think of it, no, we haven't." Rinoa said.

"Irvine…" Squall began.

"He has a tendency to _sing._ Badly." Irvine grinned. He hadn't believed Zell when he recounted what had happened at his eighteenth birthday party a couple of years ago. Certainly, Squall was careful not to drink to excess, so seeing him in an inebriated state was extremely rare. In fact, his bachelor party was probably only the second time in memory that he'd actually gotten that intoxicated. It was a revelation to Irvine. Until then, he'd thought the rumors about Squall's lack of singing ability were exaggerations. Until he'd heard proof positive of exactly _how _bad it was.

"I still don't know how it's possible to have perfect pitch and _still_ be tone-deaf. And the odd part is, his voice itself isn't actually all that bad. He just can't seem to carry a tune. At all." Irvine laughed, and Selphie and Rinoa joined him.

Squall gave him a sour look and said sarcastically, "thank you Mr. Music Critic."

"I can't help it, I had a musician as my roommate, remember?" Irvine said.

"I was wondering about how anyone even knew about his singing, because I'd only heard rumors but nobody that I'd talked to had actually heard it." Selphie commented, grinning.

"You obviously hadn't talked to Zell about it then." Irvine said, and Selphie shook her head.

Suddenly the ringing of a bell grabbed their attention and everyone focused on the ring and the man standing in the center of it in the spotlight, holding a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He pronounced theatrically, "Welcome to the final bout of the SeeD games Mixed Martial Arts tournament! I'm Bobby McShae, your ring announcer for this evening, and the official referee for this bout is David Craig. This is a fifteen round, no-holds-barred, mixed martial arts match so any style of fighting is allowed. The finalists for this evening's card are Balamb Garden's Zell Dincht, standing in this corner at five-foot seven, weighing in at one hundred and sixty-five pounds, wearing the navy blue and silver trunks." The crowd roared as Zell danced into the ring, raising his arms and grinning at them.

The announcer continued, "and in _this _corner, in the scarlet and gold trunks, we have the Galbadian Giant, Andrew Benson, standing six-foot nine, and weighing in at two hundred and seventy pounds." The roar grew deafening as the Galbadian fighter stepped into the ring and raised his arms. Standing next to him in the ring, Zell looked woefully overmatched.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, to start this match out I would please ask you all to stand for the Galbadian national anthem." The announcer stated and stepped aside, yielding the microphone to a young woman who sang the anthem beautifully. The national flags of both Balamb and Galbadia, with a flag bearing the SeeD emblem between them, were raised to the top of the convention center as the woman sang.

As the crowd seated itself once more, the announcer reclaimed his microphone and said to the fighters, "gentlemen, I want you to touch gloves, retreat to your corners and at the bell, come out fighting."

Irvine watched as Zell and his opponent did as instructed and retreated to their respective corners, both dancing and warming up while waiting for the bell to ring. It didn't take long. The bell starting the round rang, and the two fighters approached each other.

For the moment, Zell wisely kept his distance from the Galbadian Giant, easily avoiding his punches and kicks while simply dancing around the ring. The man's greater weight and longer reach would make returning any blows very tricky. Irvine frowned as he watched, trying to puzzle out Zell's strategy. All too soon, the bell ending the first round rang without a single blow being landed.

"What's he doing?" Irvine asked Squall.

Squall shrugged, "Dunno. Maybe he's trying to tire the other guy out."

"Maybe." Irvine replied doubtfully, then the bell for the next round rang and he focused his attention back onto the ring.

Zell came out swinging this time, pounding his opponent with devastatingly powerful body blows, while simultaneously either blocking or avoiding Benson's returning punches. The attack backed the man up across the ring several paces, fetching him up against the ropes when Zell landed a solid kick to the middle. The ropes sprang Benson forward sending him off balance, but he threw a lucky punch that Zell didn't quite manage to avoid and sent him sprawling.

"C'mon Zell! _Get up_!" Irvine yelled.

Zell meanwhile, managed to control the fall and rolled to his feet so fast that Benson, who'd just started to pounce on him in the hopes of wrapping him up in a submission hold, tripped over him and fell himself. Zell turned the tables on him then and leaped onto him, grappling for a hold. Benson however, was strong as an ox and Zell didn't have a good purchase on him, so he wasn't able to lock in the hold he was going for. Benson shook him off and flung a couple of kicks at him that Zell easily avoided.

Irvine watched, riveted at the way the fight was going. It bore no resemblance to any of the other bouts Zell had fought to get to this point. In those fights, Zell had been on a more or less even footing with his opponents, so he fought them primarily with punches, kicks, and submission holds. With _this_ fight however, that strategy wouldn't work. Zell _couldn't_ go toe to toe with Benson, where the man's larger size and weight would give him the advantage. Instead, he'd have to use the man's own strength against him.

But rather than seeing Zell using his skills in that direction, Irvine saw what amounted to a brawl.

Shifting his stance, Zell avoided another punch and kick combo, then slipped inside Benson's guard and nailed him with two hard uppercut punches to the chin, sending the man reeling. Zell pressed his advantage, following up the uppercuts with two side kicks to the body. Unbelievably, Benson, staggering and a hair away from falling, leaned against the ropes and used them to snap him forward at Zell, swinging wildly. Zell avoided the attack easily, shifting to the side and catching Benson across the solar plexus with a roundhouse kick. Then the bell rang, ending the round.

The two fighters retired to their corners, and Irvine commented, "Looked like Zell almost had Benson on that last round."

Squall nodded in agreement, "Benson definitely looks tired."

"Zell's panting but he still looks solid. Think it'll go all the way to fifteen rounds?" Irvine asked.

Squall shrugged, "Zell might be able to, but I doubt Benson can. He's already winded and they aren't even three rounds in yet."

"Huh, maybe Zell just needs to make Benson chase him around a little more and he'll have him." Irvine responded.

"Maybe."

The bell rang starting round three. Benson had apparently benefited greatly from the breather, and he charged after Zell, attacking with two fast jabs and a hook punch. For a big guy, Benson was very quick on his feet, far quicker than Zell thought he'd be, and he definitely needed to be alert so as not to be caught by one of Benson's attacks. Then Zell miscalculated and walked right into a roundhouse kick to the head. It sent him sprawling and the crowd gasped collectively as he lay still, apparently down for the count.

The referee started the countdown while both Irvine and Squall sat frozen, watching and waiting to see if Zell could recover.

"C'mon Zell…" Irvine murmured.

"Get up. Zell, Get up!" Squall urged, exchanging a worried glance with Irvine. As the count reached five, Zell twitched, then he began to move.

More people were shouting, urging Zell to get up, and just as the count reached one, he regained his feet, shaking his head. The referee checked him, and Zell nodded, indicating that he could continue. He began dancing in place again, apparently unaffected by the kick that had momentarily knocked him flat. But Irvine and Squall were close enough to see the grim look on Zell's face. His eyes were blazing and he looked furious.

"He looks pissed." Irvine said.

"He'd better keep it together or he'll lose this fight." Squall said objectively. Irvine nodded in agreement. He narrowed his eyes to watch Zell as he continued with the round.

This time, Zell appeared to be paying closer attention to Benson, avoiding his kicks and punches with impressive agility. When the bell rang to end the round, Irvine and Squall both heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that Zell needed the break to regroup.

For the next three rounds, it was pretty much the same, Zell danced around Benson, landing some good blows but nothing devastating, just hitting hard enough to wear him down. Benson meanwhile kept charging after Zell, apparently playing right into his strategy and becoming more and more fatigued with each round.

When the bell rang to start round seven, Irvine and Squall both wondered when Zell would decide to finish the fight. By this point, Benson was visibly tired, and while Zell was breathing hard, he didn't look as fatigued as his adversary did. It was apparent from the start of the round that Zell was thinking along the same lines as his friends were, coming out of his corner with a series of ferocious attacks that set Benson back on his heels. But Benson too was feeling the need to end the fight, knowing he was coming to the end of his reserves.

So the Galbadian Giant went on the attack, seeking to close with Zell to bring his larger size into play. Zell avoided his punches and kicks easily. Finally, after ducking yet one more high kick from Benson's long legs, Zell swept the standing leg out from under him and sent the man crashing to the canvas. Immediately, Zell pounced upon him, and _this_ time, he had the larger man wrapped up in a painful submission hold before he had time to counter it.

As large and strong as the Galbadian Giant was, Zell had the advantage this time. Despite his lack of height, Zell was every bit as strong as Benson was, his powerful arms and chest attesting to that fact. Struggle as he might, Benson couldn't break the hold; and he was fighting _hard_. But the harder he fought, the tighter Zell gripped him. Something had to give, either Benson would have to tap out or his own body would fail him. They were at a stalemate. Zell would _not_ release the hold, and Benson refused to submit.

Irvine began to wonder if Zell was strong enough to maintain the hold while Benson still fought him, making him work to maintain his grip. Zell's conditioning had been a major factor in this match, the running he'd done while helping Squall train had improved his own stamina to the point that he'd been able to outlast his opponents. The hold that Zell was straining to maintain now was a joint-lock that trapped both arms at the elbow, and Irvine knew from experience how painful it was. Benson ran a very big risk of injury if he continued to struggle.

Gritting his teeth, Zell pulled the hold tighter and Benson cried out in pain. The referee hurried over, and Benson managed to free one of his hands enough to tap Zell's arm. The fight was over.

Zell had won by submission.

Zell released Benson and they both stood, Benson rubbing his arms and flexing his joints slowly as the official raised Zell's arm and the emcee pronounced, "Winner and Champion of the SeeD games MMA tournament: Balamb Garden's Zell Dincht!" The roar from the crowd drowned out anything else the emcee tried to say.


	15. Chapter 15:White Knights

Chapter 15: White Knights

Day five

Events: Fencing

Gunblade Fencing

Tennis

Basketball

"You ready for this?" Seifer asked.

Squall shrugged, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"What about you Sage?" Seifer turned to the third member of their team. The young SeeD, who had been a cadet just a few weeks before the games, appeared to be both nervous and excited by his participation in the prestigious event.

The boy nodded vigorously. He still couldn't believe that he'd not only made SeeD on his first try, at only sixteen, but that he'd also managed to qualify to compete in the games as well. Of course with both Commander Leonhart _and _Seifer Almasy taking an interest in his gunblade training, it would have been more surprising if he had _not_ qualified.

Commander Leonhart in particular had been relentless while drilling him, so if nothing else, Sage knew that he'd passed his SeeD exam and qualified for the games because he'd been pushed so hard, not because of any special privilege.

He was both excited and intimidated to be competing alongside what had to be the two best gunbladers in existence, and he hoped he lived up to their standards.

Squall, after a four-day rest following the marathon, was as rested and ready as he could get in that amount of time. He'd spent the last four days working out only lightly, mostly just stretching to keep his muscles limber and going through some gunblade maneuvers to keep his technique sharp.

The gunblade fencing tournament itself was a single elimination tournament. Since there were so few gunbladers, it would likely be concluded with the final match occurring later that day. Concurrently with the gunblades, conventional fencing was also taking place, starting with sabers first, and then foils.

Balamb's team was heavily favored to win the fencing, but even though both Seifer and Squall were competing in the gunblade fencing event, since Balamb's team consisted of just three people they weren't given much of a chance. Galbadia had six qualifiers, Trabia had four, Esthar had seven and the White SeeDs had four. With the smallest team in the competition, the odds were high that they'd all three be eliminated before the finals. Or so the odds makers said.

They were currently in the locker room of Galbadia Garden, getting ready for the coming event. Squall had already donned his white fencing outfit and was wrapping his wrists for additional support. Sage was lacing his shoes and Seifer was checking the fit of his uniform, adjusting a binding for more support.

Once he'd finished taping his wrists, Squall pulled on his gloves and picked up his fencing mask, checking with Sage and Seifer and finding them both ready to go as well.

They walked through the hallway from the locker room with Squall in the center and slightly ahead, Seifer and Sage on either side of him. He checked in and nodded to the Balamb fencers as he led Seifer and Sage to an open space off to the side of where their team was situated.

"You're up first Sage, so you might want to start warming up." Squall said. The boy nodded and did as instructed. He looked around at the gym, which had been turned into a huge Salle. The matches were to be run in a manner similar to the MMA tournament, with several occurring simultaneously until the final two contestants were left.

As the event had yet to start officially, the attendance was still somewhat sparse, but there were more people showing up as Squall watched.

"Nervous?" Seifer asked. Squall gave him a level look.

Seifer snorted, "Guess not. Me neither."

Eventually, Squall found a seat and Seifer also sat down, both paying attention to the first round of the gunblade fencing, and in particular Sage's match.

The boy acquitted himself well, winning his first match handily. When he returned, breathless and excited, he gave Seifer an enthusiastic high-five.

A similar attempt to high-five Squall was ignored, and instead Squall simply said, "good job." Sage was somewhat crestfallen until he saw Seifer snort and roll his eyes.

Squall and Seifer both were scheduled next so they both started warming up.

Loosening up his shoulders and arms, Squall took a deep breath. While not nervous about the match, he _was_ excited, so worked on breathing exercises to calm and center himself. He and Seifer were not to be pitted against each other yet; they were both facing other opponents. Squall's match was against a young Galbadian SeeD that he knew little about. It didn't matter to him, he'd fight as he'd always done and either prevail or not.

Looking up into the stands again, he saw Rinoa, Irvine and Selphie filing in, and he smiled slightly. Catching his eye, she waved at him as she sat down.

Putting on his mask, Squall shouldered his gunblade and approached the official, who directed him to the correct mark for his match. Once there, Squall settled in a relaxed stance, gunblade in a ready position, and waited for the signal to begin.

When it came, he exploded. He attacked with such ferocity that his hapless opponent was quickly overwhelmed, barely able to parry Squall's attacks. After a touch that looked almost deadly, the official inspected the rent in the young man's clothing closely and gave Squall a wide-eyed look. Squall had hit the young man just hard enough to cut his clothing, but not his skin. The level of control demonstrated was simply amazing. Squall won the match easily.

Irvine, looking on, commented to Rinoa, "Wow. He's looking sharp today." Seifer's match started next and Irvine had to admit, Seifer was a definite contender for the finals. He wouldn't be surprised if Squall and Seifer faced off for the championship.

"He sure is." Rinoa said, nodding.

"Seifer too. I think they'll up against each other in the finals." Selphie said, echoing Irvine's thoughts.

Laguna and Ellone arrived a few moments later and were disappointed to learn they'd missed Squall's first match.

"They're going to have a quite a few matches today, so you won't miss him in action entirely." Rinoa told them.

They nodded and took their seats, enjoying the other match ups in the meantime.

Seifer's match was won nearly as quickly as Squall had won his, with Seifer showing off a little bit by adding a little flourish to the final touch that gave him the winning point. Squall snorted sardonically at that, wondering if he should mention that points weren't actually awarded for _style_.

When Seifer returned however, Squall's only comment was, "show off."

"Nothing in the rules against adding a bit of style to the bout. Otherwise it would be dead boring to watch." Seifer said unapologetically.

"Whatever." Squall said absently, slowly pacing back and forth to keep loose. Sage did likewise, as their next matches were occurring at precisely the same time.

When their matches were called, they both walked together to the official, and as the boy turned away, Squall gripped his shoulder and said, "good luck." Sage nodded and they parted company.

Squall's next opponent was better, but still no match for him. It was exciting to watch them as they traded blows with lightning speed, their steel blades striking sparks from each other. The watching crowd gasped as several close calls were narrowly missed by either a deftly turned blade or a quick shift in position. In the end however, Squall again prevailed and advanced to the next round.

At the end of three rounds, Squall, Seifer and Sage were still in contention and the competition was heating up considerably. The gunbladers who hadn't been eliminated by this point were the best of the best. Squall knew, as did Seifer and Sage, that they had to be on their mettle on this next round.

This time, all three of them were up at the same time, and Squall knew they were getting close to the final elimination. He didn't intend to be eliminated any time soon, however. Silently, they went to their marks and faced their adversaries.

When the match started Squall knew this opponent might test him, but he was ready. After three previous matches, Squall was still feeling strong. He blocked two swift attacks, parried two more, then came back strongly with a series of powerful blows that backed his adversary up several steps.

Binding the young man's blade, Squall scored a touch and the official called a halt.

"Point. Leonhart." the official pronounced after verifying no injury was sustained.

The two gunbladers returned to their marks, waiting for the official to give them the signal to continue the match.

"Proceed." The official said.

This exchange was blindingly fast. Squall was heartily impressed with his opponent; thus far, the man hadn't missed a parry and gave as good as he got. So good in fact, he scored two hits on Squall, leading him by one point.

Returning to his mark, Squall loosened his shoulders a little and settled his stance. He had to win this round if he wanted to advance. He focused his attention with laser-like intensity upon the other gunblader, watching him and waiting for the signal to continue.

When it did, Squall charged towards the other man, feinting high then attacking low, scoring a solid hit. He parried the young man's responding attack, then batted the blade aside and scored another hit, winning the match.

"Point and match. Leonhart." Stated the official.

A surge of cheers greeted this announcement, and Squall raised his gunblade in a salute as he walked over to the Balamb's side of the gym, removing his fencing mask. A second surge of cheers grabbed his attention and Squall turned, watching as Seifer raised his blade in acknowledgement. Apparently, Seifer had also won. Sage however, appeared crestfallen as Squall approached the bench.

"I lost." The boy said as Squall sat down next to him.

Squall shrugged, "there's always next time." He took his water bottle out of his gym bag and drank deeply.

"That's in _five years_. How do you know I'll even qualify?" The boy said sadly.

"Won't know until you try. And think about this…you'll have five years to train, get stronger and improve your technique." Squall told him.

"Yeah, there is that. Are you going to try for the next games?" Sage asked.

"I don't know, maybe. I get people asking all the time if I'm going to run the marathon for Balamb in the international games next year and I haven't decided yet if I want to do it or not." Squall answered.

Just then, Seifer sauntered up, saying, "Well, looks like we're both in the semi-finals. If we each win our matches Squall, it'll be you and me in the finals. Just like old times, eh?"

Squall snorted, then stood up to stretch out and limber up for the semi-final match. The momentary breather ended quickly however as the officials called for the contestants in the semi final matches.

Seifer and Squall both made their way to the officials, and Seifer said, "good luck, Squall."

Squall nodded in acknowledgment, replying, "you too." Seifer nodded back and shouldered his gunblade to take his mark. Squall did likewise, facing his opponent.

Both matches were hard fought, but in the end, Squall and Seifer both prevailed against their rivals, and when their wins were both announced, the watching crowd roared. The match up that almost everyone there had wanted to see was now imminent.

* * *

"Wow," Laguna said, "that was intense. How does he keep it up? He's got to be tired."

Rinoa shrugged, "He was fit enough to win a marathon. I don't think this'll wear him out too much. Trust me, he's dead fit. He could do this all day."

"He _has _been doing it all day." Laguna said, watching as Squall took his fencing mask off again and wiped his face off with a towel before drinking deeply from his water bottle.

"Well, it's just about over. Its just Squall and Seifer now in the finals." Rinoa said.

Irvine snorted, "Like we all didn't see _that _coming."

"Well, they _did_ have some good matches," Selphie observed.

"Yeah, but nobody was anywhere near as good as he and Seifer are." Irvine said.

"This is going to be a hell of a match then," Laguna said.

Then the P.A. system announced that there would be an intermission of about an hour before the final match started.

Laguna stood up and stretched, saying, "I'm off to stretch my legs a little. My joints are a little creakier than I'd like to admit so sitting in one place for too long tends to stiffen them up. Anyone want anything?"

Rinoa, Irvine and Selphie all shook their heads, with Rinoa saying, "I'm not hungry, but I _will _walk with you a bit, I need to visit the lavatory."

Laguna lent her his arm for support as they made their way down the steep stairs. Rinoa didn't protest against it, truth was, she did feel a little shaky on her feet as she negotiated the steps and was grateful for Laguna's strength.

"How are you feeling, kiddo? You look a little pale." He asked her softly.

"I'm feeling a little bit rough today, I'm afraid. I can't put my finger on it, I just feel a little _off_." Rinoa answered, frowning.

"Have you eaten anything?" Laguna asked her. Rinoa shook her head.

"You need to eat honey, its important." He said.

"I know," Rinoa sighed. Nothing had appealed to her, and the nausea had been accompanied by cramping. That had frightened her, which knotted her stomach up even more with anxiety. Unfortunately, she was starting to feel shaky now, and she knew she had to eat something soon or she'd get _really_ sick. Fortunately, she'd kept a tight grip on her mental shields so Squall didn't even get a hint of what was going on with her.

She regretted that, because she missed that deep connection that she had with him. She hadn't dared to link with him, aside from when Ellone had connected her with him while he'd been running. She'd been afraid of what he'd sense from her if she did. And Squall had been so preoccupied he hadn't noticed yet. But that couldn't last for long; he was nearly done with the games. He only had this final match against Seifer and then it was back to Balamb for the A-level combine tomorrow.

Rinoa was torn as to when would be a good time to give Squall the news of his impending fatherhood and how she should go about it. The A-level was an extremely dangerous event, one where the slightest loss in focus could be deadly. Rinoa absolutely did _not_ want to distract Squall just before the A-level.

She parted company with Laguna to make use of the facilities, hoping that things would settle down. The roiling nausea, coupled with her stomach twisting anxiety, certainly didn't make for a very comfortable time. It was difficult for Rinoa not to reach for Squall's comforting strength at that point. She needed him, more than he knew. And she didn't dare touch him.

A sudden stab of pain made Rinoa gasp and double over. The nausea worsened and she raced for the stall, making it just in time to heave what little she had in her stomach into the commode. Once the storm stopped, Rinoa took care of her other need, suddenly feeling sick again as she saw evidence of a potentially serious problem.

Blood.

"Oh, please no…" she whispered. Gut-wrenching grief, fear and pain washed over her and Rinoa couldn't hold it in. It sped through the link between her and Squall before she could shut it down. The Garden and Dr. Kadowaki were just minutes away. But she had to leave immediately.

With trembling hands, she searched for her cell phone and realized with a sob that she'd left it back at Garden. Taking a deep, shaking breath, she did her best to compose herself and left the restroom to see Laguna waiting patiently on her.

One look at her white, tear-streaked face however and he knew that something was wrong.

"Rinoa? Honey, are you okay?" He asked, eyes dark with concern.

She shook her head, eyes filling with tears again, and whispered, "I've got to see my doctor. Now."

Laguna felt like he'd been punched in the gut. _Damn. Poor Squall._ He let out an explosive breath, then took out his cell phone and handed it to Rinoa.

"Call her." Rinoa wiped her eyes and dialed Dr. Kadowaki's number. She turned away and softly told her what had happened. Laguna's heart grew heavier with every second as he heard her describe her symptoms.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible." She said softly, concluding the call. Handing Laguna back his phone, Rinoa began to walk toward the exit. Laguna, after making a quick, low-voiced phone call, followed her.

"I'll take you back." He said. He'd already called for his car.

Rinoa hesitated, then nodded. A sudden spasm of pain clenched her again and she bit her lip to hold back a cry. As it was, her eyes filled with tears again.

"I need to go now." She said with a choked sob. Laguna nodded.

"Okay." Then he swept her up into his arms and walked as quickly as he could, ignoring the stares and concerned looks. He'd have run, but he figured jostling Rinoa was likely the last thing he should be doing. Still, his legs were long enough that he strode at a quick clip through the hallways of Galbadia garden toward the exit where his car was waiting for him.

He could have called for EMS, but he figured he could get Rinoa to her doctor at least as quickly as they could, and she wouldn't have to suffer while waiting for them to show up.

Upon reaching his car, the driver opened the back door and Laguna got in and left Rinoa resting on his lap.

"Go to Balamb Garden. Fast." He ordered the man. He nodded and took off with alacrity. Laguna sighed and pulled Rinoa tighter as she sobbed softly into his shoulder.

"Shhh… Is it …bad?" Laguna asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know." She answered sniffling.

"Well, let's not borrow trouble. Let's see what the doctor says." Laguna said.

Tilting her face up to his, he studied her and added, "You need to call Squall. Tell him. Tonight. Whatever happens."

"But, he's got his final match against Seifer…" she protested.

"You let him decide what's more important. I know he wouldn't appreciate us deciding for him." Laguna said firmly. Then he handed her his cell phone again.

"Call him."

Rinoa shook her head, handing it back. Then she closed her eyes.

"I don't need the phone."

* * *

Squall was pacing the floor of the gym, trying to keep loose during the intermission preceding his match against Seifer when something hit him like a ton of bricks. A mental bolt of fear, pain and grief slammed into him with such force he dropped to his knees, stunned. Then, as quickly as it came, it immediately ceased. Squall came to himself, blinking, staring at the floor as he tried to gather his scattered wits.

_What the hell was that? Rinoa?_ Sudden fear gripped him. He took a deep breath and began to lever himself upright, assisted by Seifer and Sage. The moment he had collapsed they had rushed over to help. As he got to his feet, swaying, he scanned the crowd, searching for her. But she was gone.

"Rinoa?" He whispered.

"Squall? Are you okay?" Seifer asked, worried. Squall's face had gone dead white as he scanned the crowd. Squall shook him and Sage off and walked a few steps away, still scanning the crowd. He didn't see her. Nor did he see Laguna. Ellone was still there, as were Irvine and Selphie, who all watched him worriedly.

Seifer and Sage exchanged a concerned look and Seifer asked again, "Squall?" Squall didn't respond. Instead he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

He dropped his mental shields and reached for Rinoa. When he couldn't touch her, he had a momentary flare of panic and had to forcibly calm himself down and remember that even though she wasn't responding, she was still _there_. He could feel her. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as he poured his heart into calling for her.

"_Rinoa! Where are you? Answer me! I can't hear you at all!" _Silence.

Then, _"Squall?" _ The relief that washed over him at her answer left Squall shaking with reaction.

"_Oh, God Rin, you gave me the scare of my life! What's happened? Where are you?" _ Silence again. Squall sensed her hesitation, and the emotional overtones behind it, and was left confused at the mixture of fear, pain and grief that permeated everything that he felt from her.

"_Rinoa? Are you okay?"_

Squall's worry was palpable, as was his concern for her. Rinoa choked back a sob and answered him.

"_I don't know. Laguna's taking me to Dr. Kadowaki. We should be there in a few minutes. I'll…I'll tell you how I'm doing after she sees me." _

Squall sensed her withdrawal and fought back, sending, _ "No! Don't you dare shut me out! I'll be there in a few minutes."_

"_But, your match…" _she protested.

"_To hell with the match. I'll forfeit to Seifer. You're more important." _ He answered her firmly.

He opened his eyes to find Seifer watching him.

"Squall?" Seifer asked him again.

"Rinoa." Squall answered. Seifer nodded. He'd been a knight once; he knew what it could be like.

"I have to go." Squall said, walking toward the exit.

Seifer fell into step beside him, asking, "what about the match?"

"I forfeit. You win." Squall lengthened his stride until he was nearly running. Seifer stopped, cursing.

"Dammit Squall! I didn't want to win like _this_!" Seifer called after him, protesting.

"I'll make it up to you if you want me to! But I have to go _now!_ Tell the officials whatever you want." Squall called back, breaking into a loping run, hurrying out the exit and toward the rental car he'd taken from Garden.

As he sped away, he sent a comforting thought to Rinoa, _"Hang in there, Angel. I'm coming." _

* * *

Irvine was bored with waiting for Seifer and Squall's final match, and he considered doing as Rinoa and Laguna had done, getting up to use the facilities and purchase some concessions. He'd put forward that idea to Selphie, who agreed.

He was just getting ready to go when he saw Squall, who'd been pacing near Balamb's fencers to keep loose, suddenly drop to his knees.

"What the hell?" He said, staring. Selphie, sitting beside him, gasped. Seifer and Sage, the other gunblader on their team, ran over and both of them helped Squall to his feet. He wavered for a moment, then shook them off and walked toward the stands, staring toward them. Toward where Rinoa had been sitting.

"What's going on with him?" Selphie asked, concerned. Irvine shook his head. He had no idea, but something was happening, and it somehow involved Rinoa. It occurred to him that she and Laguna had been gone far longer than a quick trip to the restroom and concession stand would warrant.

"Something's wrong." Irvine said, watching Squall. He closed his eyes and stood as motionless as a statue, then his eyes snapped open and he started to leave. Seifer walked beside him for a few strides, talking to him, and Squall said something curtly and took off at a run.

Seifer stared after him for a moment, then went to talk to the official.

"I think the match is off. C'mon Selphie, let's go see what's going on." He said, beginning to leave. Then Ellone spoke up.

"Rinoa's gone to see Dr. Kadowaki. Some kind of emergency, but Squall doesn't know what it is."

Irvine stared at her.

Then he remembered. "Oh. Right, you can connect with his mind. Well, we're going over there. You want to come along with us?" Irvine invited, and Ellone nodded, getting up.

As they left, an announcement came over the PA, saying, "Due to a family emergency, Commander Leonhart is unable to participate in his match against Seifer Almasy. Because of time conflicts, this match cannot be rescheduled. Therefore, Commander Leonhart has been forced to forfeit in favor of Seifer Almasy. We apologize on behalf of Balamb Garden and regret that this match will not be taking place. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming, and it is our sincere hope that everything turns out well for Commander Leonhart and his family."

* * *

Squall loped through the halls of Balamb Garden, making a beeline toward the infirmary. Rinoa had assured him repeatedly on the trip over that she was okay and he had nothing to worry about, but he didn't believe it. She was no longer in pain, which was a relief to Squall, but he could tell that the danger had not passed. Danger of _what_ exactly, Squall still didn't know, and Rinoa had only said that she'd tell him everything when he got there. He pushed aside his frustration and irritation at that, knowing that the last thing Rinoa needed to sense from him were such negative emotions.

He slowed to a fast walk as he approached the infirmary's door, mostly so he could catch his breath. As he opened the door, he saw Laguna sitting in a chair in the waiting area just outside Dr. Kadowaki's office.

"Dad?" Squall asked, still slightly breathless.

Laguna smiled to himself, thinking how rare it was for Squall to call him "dad". It was still mostly "Laguna", particularly when he was working.

"Dr. Kadowaki's with Rinoa now." He said, adding with a soft laugh, "I didn't believe her when she told me she didn't need the phone to call you. Amazing."

Squall shrugged, uncomfortable talking about something he considered extremely private between him and Rinoa.

"It's a sorceress-knight thing. Apparently." He finally said.

Laguna smiled, "You even _look _like a white knight in that getup. Have a seat son." He patted the plastic seat next to him in invitation.

Squall sat down, wiping sweat from his face and grimacing, "I might look like a white knight, but I'm pretty sure I smell like a gym sock right now."

"You could have changed, you know." Laguna said.

"Yeah, well I wasn't thinking about that. I just needed to get here as quickly as I could." Squall answered, watching the door to the exam room. Laguna reached over and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"She'll be okay son." He said. He had to believe it, not only for Squall's sake, but also for his own.

"I felt her pain, dad. It hit me before she could shut down the link." Squall said softly. He had been shielding himself, had done so since Rinoa had shown him how. But that burst of pain and fear had blown right through his shields like they hadn't existed.

Laguna sucked in his breath softly, thinking, _they're linked that tightly? My God, what's gonna happen to Squall when she gives BIRTH? What if she can't block it? _ Laguna couldn't even imagine what that would be like. Unfortunately, Squall didn't have a clue about what he was in for. Neither did anyone else, for that matter.

"Thank you, by the way, for bringing her in." Squall said, glancing over at him before focusing back on the door.

"It was my pleasure son. Doing otherwise wasn't even an option for me." Laguna replied. Squall nodded.

Any further conversation was suspended as the door to the exam room opened and Dr. Kadowaki came out.

Seeing Squall, she said, "Good, you're here. You can go in and see her. She'll be okay but she needs to stay here for a few days." Squall stood and started to ask her why when she raised her hand, stopping him.

"I'll answer all of the questions I know you want to ask _after _you talk to your wife." She said firmly.

Squall nodded and walked toward the door to the room, hesitating a moment and taking a deep breath to calm himself. Then he opened it and walked into the room.

Rinoa lay in the bed, staring pensively out the window. Squall closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. She turned toward the door and smiled. Squall smiled back.

"Hey." She said softly. Squall approached her bed and took her hand, sitting down on the stool next to it. Rinoa knew Squall had come right from his match, and apparently hadn't taken the time to change out of his fencing outfit. She smiled at the image he presented.

"_My white knight, come to my rescue." _She sent, adding her perception of the heroic figure he struck.

"_Is that how you see me?"_ He asked her, feeling both humbled by her admiration and intimidated at what he'd have to try and live up to.

"_Sometimes. I know you're only human Squall, and that's what I love most about you. But the hero comes out on occasion and I love him too."_ Rinoa sent, adding a warm rush of love to underscore its meaning.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, stroking her hair.

"Fine. It was a false alarm, from what Dr. Kadowaki told me. But she wants to keep me here for a few days, for observation, just to be safe." Rinoa answered.

"False alarm for what Rinoa? I know I've been busy preparing for the games, but I also know something's been going on with you. I keep feeling like I'm missing something important and it's starting to frustrate me." He said. He tried not to project what he was feeling, but was only partially successful. Rinoa sighed as she sensed it.

"I was afraid. I didn't know how you'd react and I didn't want to interfere with your training for the games." She gripped his hand tightly, and added softly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't want you to find out this way." Squall frowned, trying not to feel irritated at how evasive she was _still _being.

"Rinoa, what…" He began, then stopped as she moved her hand, still gripping his, to her lower abdomen. Then she pressed his hand against it. He was confused for a moment, then as he moved his hand, smoothing down the sheet covering her, he felt the warmth of her body, and a curious firmness below her belly button. He began to suspect what it might be, but still wasn't sure…. until she _showed_ him.

She opened her mind and drew him in, letting him _see_ what she carried within her womb. Two tiny life-sparks, like little stars resided deep within her body. Two tiny heartbeats beat a quick tattoo. _Two babies. _

Squall's breath left him and his eyes filled with tears. He was assailed by a quick succession of conflicting emotions; shock, fear, confusion, hurt, but they were overridden by his love for her and the awe he felt at what she'd shown him.

"_Twins? We're having twins?" _Was the only coherent thought he could form.

"_I had suspected for awhile that there were two babies in there, but it took an ultrasound by Dr. Kadowaki to find them. We have both a son and a daughter in one shot." _ She answered him, adding, _"I'm sorry I didn't… trust you. I truly didn't think we could even have children, and we'd never really talked about it because of that. Please…don't be angry at me.."_

Squall closed his eyes, _"Oh, Rinoa.. How could you think that? Don't you know me at all?"_ Then he opened his eyes and let Rinoa see and feel everything, _everything_ he felt. He felt her embrace even his fear and worry over her and comfort him with the assurance that all would be well.

"I'm sorry I didn't pay closer attention," He said softly, "And I'm sorry I made you feel like I didn't want this. I don't feel like I'm ready to be a father, but then, who ever is? We'll figure it out as we go along. And yes, I _am_ terrified that you might meet my mother's fate. But, you're strong, and you have my strength to lean on if you need it."

Rinoa's eyes filled with tears, and Squall felt her need to be held and obligingly pulled her into his arms as she cried softly into his shoulder. He stroked her hair as he held her, then closed his eyes and let his own silent tears fall. They stayed like that for a few moments, then as Squall pulled back, he wiped the tears from Rinoa's eyes with his thumb, smiling. Rinoa did the same to him, smiling broadly as she did.

"Yeah, okay. Busted. Wanna make something of it?" He laughed softly, wiping his eyes.

"No." she said, still smiling.

Then Squall sighed, "I guess I'll have to cancel doing the combine tomorrow." He regretted that he'd had to forfeit the gunblade-fencing match against Seifer; they'd both trained so hard for it. But it couldn't be helped.

Tomorrow's combine was out of the question. There was a very real danger that he could be killed doing it, and he found that despite the exhilaration of meeting the challenge, the risk was just too high.

"Squall, please don't. Don't cancel that on my account. I'll be fine here tomorrow. I know how hard you've trained for this. I want to see you win it." Rinoa said. She knew it was a risky event, but she also knew Squall. He lived for this kind of thing, and she didn't want to hold him back, in spite of how dangerous it was. If he had prepared adequately, and she knew he had, he would come through it just fine.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Truthfully, he was torn. He _wanted_ to compete. Had made the commitment to do so not only to himself but to Balamb's team as well. But he was so off balance at the moment, he didn't know how effective he'd be. How could he go into the most dangerous event ever designed knowing that his pregnant wife was watching him? And then, there was the _reason_ she was in the infirmary in the first place. False alarm or not, even the _threat _of a miscarriage was enough to make Squall hesitate. The last thing he wanted to do was to put Rinoa's life, or the two tiny lives that she carried within her, at risk. He didn't think that the stress of watching him put his life in danger would be very helpful.

Finally, he said, "I'll have to talk to Dr. Kadowaki. I want to make sure that this really _was_ a false alarm and not something else."

"Okay. But please, I feel fine." Then she stroked his face, missing the hair that used to frame it. It would grow out, but this ultra-military look of his was still something she was getting used to. He had assured her however, that he'd grow his hair out as long as she wanted him to. She felt his amusement at her thoughts, and he sent her an image of what he thought he'd look like with his hair trailing down his back like Irvine's. She laughed.

"_No way would you look that silly. I think you'd look pretty sexy, personally. But no ponytail." _She smiled impishly and sent him an image directly from a romance novel cover, with his hair blowing in luxurious auburn waves as he struck a blatantly sexy pose. She had put him in a billowing white shirt that opened to his navel, showing off his chest and abs. Squall burst out laughing.

"_Angel, I love you but there's no way I could pull that off. I'd feel completely ridiculous." _He sent, still laughing.

"_Only if you over think it." _ She responded, sharing one of her favorite memories of making love with him on the balcony in Esthar as the sun set over the city. She didn't have to embellish that image; it was Squall at his best, sexy as hell and not even aware of it.

"_I remember that day…" _He thought, pulling her close and kissing her, basking in the shared memory. He'd missed that closeness, he realized, and cursed himself for being so focused on _everything,_ except what he should have been.

He stroked her hair, saying "I guess I'd better go talk to Dr. Kadowaki." Then he sighed, adding, "and I'd better get us all moving toward Balamb, so we can be there by morning. I'll come back later tonight though."

He gave her a soft, lingering kiss, letting her feel how much he'd miss having her with him that night. Then he left.

* * *

When he exited the room and turned around, Squall froze at the number of people in the waiting area. Laguna was still there, but Ellone, Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, Zell, and even Nida had joined him. More people waited outside.

"What the…?" he started, and was interrupted by Irvine.

"C'mon man, you have to ask? How's Rinoa doing?" He asked.

"Fine," Squall answered, then suddenly grinned, announcing, "she's pregnant!"

Irvine and Zell obligingly offered their congratulations, with Zell squeezing Squall in a bear hug before releasing him and giving way to Laguna who did likewise. Irvine pounded his back and when all the well wishes had died down, Squall suddenly realized that while it had all been sincere, nobody had been surprised.

"You guys already knew, didn't you?" He asked. Irvine, Selphie, Laguna and the rest all nodded.

"_Rin!" _ He sent, frowning, and received an apologetic, _"Sorry,"_ back from her.

"Well, I bet you didn't know _this_," Squall said, grinning again and holding up two fingers.

"Twins."


	16. Chapter16: a lone knight's journey

Chapter 16: A Lone Knight's Journey into Dawn

Final Event: A-Level Combine

Stunned silence greeted Squall's announcement, several jaws dropped, and Irvine just stared for a moment, then said, "No way."

"Serious?" asked Zell. Squall nodded.

Laguna's eyes filled and he pulled Squall into a tight hug, whispering, "I'm so happy for you son." Ellone came up then, and Squall got another hug from her.

"Thanks." Squall said.

"Rinoa and the babies are okay?" Selphie asked, and Squall nodded. Selphie sighed in relief.

"So, do you know if they're boys or girls yet?" Quistis asked.

Squall smiled, "One of each."

"Awesome! Wait, how do you know? It's too soon to tell with ultrasound, isn't it? Rinoa can't be more than eight or nine weeks along." Selphie said, puzzled.

Squall shrugged, answering, "um…_we_ know."

"Are you going to make any kind of announcement or anything like that?" Quistis asked.

Squall frowned, "announcement? Why?"

"We've gotten a lot of inquiries from the press about your abrupt departure from the gunblade fencing competition. They're wanting to know if you're still doing the combine tomorrow, if Rinoa's okay, what was wrong with her, that sort of thing." Quistis said apologetically, adding, "We just want to know what to tell them."

Squall sighed. He really didn't want to deal with that right then, but he knew that _some_ kind of information would have to be provided. He simply didn't feel up to it at the moment.

"Squall, let me do it." Laguna offered.

"Do what?" Squall asked.

"I'll issue a statement from you which should answer their questions. What do you want me to tell them?" Laguna asked.

Squall frowned, "give me some time to think about it. I need to talk to Dr. Kadowaki first."

"All right," Laguna said, patting his shoulder. Squall left them and went to Dr. Kadowaki's office.

"Come in," she answered at his knock. Returning to her desk, she sat down and indicated the seat in front of it.

"Have a seat, Squall."

When he did as directed, Dr. Kadowaki asked, "I assume you have questions?"

"Yes." Squall answered, then asked her, "What, _exactly_, happened?"

"Well, it wasn't anywhere near as bad we had thought, fortunately. So, to put your mind at ease, Rinoa's not in danger of losing the babies at this point in time. This may sound a little odd, but bleeding can occur during the first trimester and it doesn't always herald a miscarriage. The ultrasound didn't find anything wrong with either Rinoa or the babies, but I do want to keep her here and resting for a few days at least just to make sure." The doctor answered.

Squall let out a breath in relief, "good. But, she was in such _pain_.. Are you sure?"

"Well, I think part of her reaction was panic. You don't expect bleeding or cramping when you're nine weeks pregnant. When she calmed down, she told me it really wasn't any worse than what she felt during her normal cycle." Dr. Kadowaki explained.

Squall stared at her, speechless. That was _normal_?

"_You felt like THAT every time you…?" _Squall began, unable to finish the thought.

"_Yeah, pretty much." _ Rinoa answered.

"_Wow. Well, that explains a lot. Um, I'll try not to be so.. uh, I dunno… clueless? Just promise you won't zap me into oblivion if I do something stupid, okay?"_ Squall sent, then smiled slightly at her amusement.

"_If I haven't done it by now, I'm not going to." _She answered.

"So, she's okay right?" Squall asked. The doctor nodded.

"She is, however, there _are_ some things that you both are going to need to consider about this." Dr. Kadowaki cautioned.

"What?" Squall asked, frowning.

"Multiple pregnancies are tricky. They are considered high risk so Rinoa will need to be monitored carefully by a good OB/GYN. And you both will have to have a plan in place when Rinoa gets closer to her due date. Even if you go for a conventional birth, if something happens it may end up in a cesarean delivery. I'm a general practitioner, Squall; I won't be able to do it myself. And we don't have the necessary surgical facilities or neonatal specialists to deal with this here, particularly with twins. Now I can refer you both to some good doctors in Balamb or even Deling City if necessary." She advised.

Squall paled, asking weakly, "_surgical?"_

"Yes, cesarean deliveries are actually fairly common in multiple births. That's one reason why they have to be monitored so closely. The hospital in Balamb should do all right but the best neonatal facility is in Deling City." Dr. Kadowaki said.

_Deling City? Neonatal what? Surgery?_ Squall's mind was reeling as the doctor calmly explained that Rinoa's pregnancy was not only going to turn their lives upside down, there was a real possibility that it could actually take her life. He'd worried about that exact thing, and thought as strong as they both were, Rinoa would come through it fine. But as Dr. Kadowaki detailed what he'd have to look out for and, to his dismay, _avoid_, he began to realize that a twin pregnancy was far more dangerous for Rinoa than he'd thought.

"Squall?" Dr. Kadowaki paused, noticing that the young commander had fallen silent and seemed to have withdrawn into himself. She worried a moment when he didn't respond immediately, then sighed silently in relief when he focused his attention on her.

"It's a lot to take in, I know," she began, worrying about how Squall was handling this. From what she could tell, it didn't appear he was handling it well. The signs were subtle, but Squall's sudden silence and remote expression told her he'd retreated behind his walls again. She hoped that was only a temporary retreat in order to mentally regroup.

"Do you have any other questions?" She asked.

Squall shook his head, answering softly, "no." Without another word, he got up to leave.

"If you do happen to think of anything you want to know or ask, don't hesitate to call." The doctor said, brows knitted in a worried frown as she watched Squall nod silently and leave.

* * *

"Squall?" Laguna asked as he saw him exiting the doctor's office. The carefully blank mask he wore worried Laguna. He hoped that whatever the doctor had told him hadn't frightened his son into complete withdrawal. Not again, not after he'd made so much progress.

"Go ahead and tell the press that Rinoa's fine and I'll be competing in the combine tomorrow." Squall said tonelessly.

Laguna hesitated, frowning, "are you sure, Squall? Forgive me for asking, but do you think you'll be able to handle it on top of all of this?"

"Yes." Squall answered. Then he turned to leave.

Catching sight of Nida, who stood next to Quistis near the door, Squall ordered, "get us moving toward Balamb Nida, we need to be there by morning." Then he left without another word. Nida sighed and gave Quistis a quick kiss and left as well.

In the silence he left in his wake, Zell finally asked, "What the hell was that?"

"_That_ was the old Squall." Quistis said softly. Irvine nodded, and Selphie gave him a worried look.

"What the hell did that doctor _tell _him?" Laguna asked, frowning fiercely.

"You'll have to ask Squall that," Ellone said, then sighed sadly, "He's buttoned up so tightly right now, I can't reach him."

* * *

Squall walked toward his and Rinoa's quarters, feeling completely empty. He suddenly felt physically, mentally and emotionally drained. The events of the day had finally crashed down upon him as he sat in Dr. Kadowaki's office and it was all he could do to respond to her in a semi-normal manner. He _had_ retreated from her and from everyone, for a little while anyway.

He had too. It had all become too much, everything that had happened, and Squall needed that retreat in order to process everything. He was just simply overwhelmed and he needed to take a step back for a moment. So he shoved everything he felt into the same tiny box he'd used for years to keep the pain at bay and sat on the lid. He knew it wouldn't work for long; he didn't need it to. He just needed space to breathe.

He also needed a shower and dinner, in that order.

As he opened the door to his apartment, he felt a tug at the back of his mind. Ellone. He tightened his shields however, not wanting to deal with anyone right at the moment. He sensed her dismay and resolved to explain his response to her when he felt up to it.

Mechanically, he stripped off his fencing gear, tossing it into a corner intending to clean it after he'd finished the combine tomorrow. He figured his mental state wasn't optimal for such a grueling competition, but he couldn't muster enough energy to worry about it. He'd do it, and get through it like he always did. And he'd either win or he'd fail.

Entering the bathroom, he turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature to a comfortable level, then stepped in, letting the water sluice over him. Closing his eyes, he leaned into the spray, feeling the warmth of the water start to relax muscles he hadn't realized were tense. Slowly he soaped up and rinsed off, finishing up with washing his hair. Not that there was much there to wash. In that respect at least, Squall rather liked the haircut. He spent far less time fussing with it than he used to. Not that he'd done a lot of fussing anyway.

Finally finishing up his shower, he turned off the now cooling water and grabbed a towel as he got out, drying off and getting dressed again. He was rubbing his towel over his head to dry his hair when he caught sight of his empty bed. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes began to sting.

_Stop it fool! She's only going to be in the infirmary for a few days then she'll be back here… _he told himself, but that wasn't what his problem was. Yes, she'd be back in a few days, but nothing would ever be the same for them. The pain started again, and Squall shook his head angrily and shoved it back into the box.

He'd deal with it later. He was still commander, and he still had work to do. He left to get a quick dinner and then…back to work.

* * *

Irvine and Selphie watched as Laguna left to talk to the press, Nida was already getting the Garden ready to travel to Balamb and Quistis had taken it upon herself to put out a general recall to any SeeDs or cadets that hadn't made it back to Balamb informing them of Garden's imminent departure.

Selphie and Irvine were left with Ellone, and Selphie frowned a moment as she thought of something Squall had forgotten about.

"The Ragnarok's still parked outside. I think Squall forgot about it. We'd better get outta here before Nida takes off and get on it so we can fly it back to Balamb." Selphie said.

"You're right Selphie, let's go. You want to come with us Ellone?" Irvine asked.

She shook her head, "No, I'd better stay here. Laguna's here, and I know Squall's going to need me at some point. I'll tell him you two have taken care of the Ragnarok when he's ready to listen."

Selphie nodded and they hurried to leave before Garden took off. Irvine could already feel the vibrations as the machinery that powered it started up. He hoped that any SeeDs or cadets still out in Deling City made it back before it left, otherwise they'd have to take the train back. And risk disciplinary action as a result of missing curfew.

They exited Garden and trotted over to the Ragnarok, passing several SeeDs and a couple of cadets racing toward the entrance. When they got to the airship, Selphie palmed an access panel by the door and typed in a passcode. Shortly afterward, the doors slid open and the boarding ramp extended with a hiss.

Upon entering the ship, Selphie tapped a panel by the doorway and the doors began to close and the boarding ramp retracted behind them.

"Strap in stud, and I'll get us going." Selphie said with a smile and a wink.

"Baby, you've _already_ got me goin'." Irvine grinned flirtatiously. Selphie laughed.

"Cool your jets big boy, we've got work to do first." She said.

Irvine chuckled, "I'm flattered. 'Big boy'?"

"If the shoe fits.." She responded.

"Oh, you were talking about my _feet_.." Irvine said, feigning disappointment.

Selphie laughed, "okay, we're stopping this now, because all I'm getting from you is nonsense." Irvine laughed as Selphie opened a channel to Balamb Garden.

"This is Ragnarok to Balamb Garden. Nida, you guys ready to go?" she hailed them.

"Copy Ragnarok, this is Nida. No Selphie, we haven't left yet; we're waiting on some stragglers. You're flying the Ragnarok back to Balamb then? I'd wondered who was going to do that job, Squall didn't specifically say anything about it."

"We figured he had enough on his mind. If he asks, tell him Irvine and I have it covered." She told him.

"Will do. See you guys in Balamb. Fly safely." Nida said.

"Likewise Nida. See you later." Selphie responded, signing off.

Leaning back in the copilot's chair, Irvine smirked at Selphie, saying, "you know, we don't _actually_ have to be in Balamb until morning. That gives us like…I don't know, _twelve hours_ to get there. And it'll take an hour, tops, to get to Balamb from here in this bird. Wanna take a detour?"

"Where to?" Selphie asked, intrigued.

"Oh, I dunno, anywhere I guess. We could stop in Timber, or Winhill, or Dollet, come to think of it." Irvine mused, and snorted as Selphie glared at him.

"_Not_ Dollet." She frowned.

"Oh, come on Selphie, you don't even know we'll run into Jenna there. She's probably still here in Deling City. Besides, they've got a really nice nightclub on top of a cliff that overlooks the beach there." He said.

Selphie shook her head stubbornly, "not Dollet."

"Well then, I guess that leaves Trabia. We could wander around the Shumi village for a little bit." Irvine said.

"There's always the Resort and Casino there too. I hear they've got a good restaurant." Selphie said.

"Okay, Trabia it is." Irvine said. Selphie fired up the engines then, and the airship slowly lifted off. As they did, they saw Garden begin to rise as well. As they ascended, the other Gardens, Galbadia included, all began to lift off. All of them were apparently headed for Balamb for the final contest.

When Selphie judged they'd reached a safe enough distance and height from the rest of the gardens, she engaged the rear thrusters and the Ragnarok took off with a roar.

* * *

Squall was restless. He'd consumed a dinner he'd barely tasted, wasted an hour in his office going over reports and paperwork that could have waited for the next day and now prowled the halls of Garden wondering what to do next. He was tired, and _should_ go to bed, but his mind wouldn't let him rest.

Garden had been underway toward Balamb for a couple of hours now, and was well out to sea. Without realizing it, he found himself entering the lift toward the bridge where Nida was steering Garden on its current course.

"Hey, Squall." Nida greeted him as he entered. Squall nodded to acknowledge him and stood off to the side, gazing silently at the moonlit sea.

The moon dominated the view, riding low in the sky, glowing golden and nearly full. The swells of the sea reflected it back in choppy shimmers. Off to the northeast, a bank of silver-edged darkness, potential storm clouds, slowly advanced toward the island of Balamb.

Squall concentrated on the view. He didn't want to talk. Nor did he want to think. Fortunately, Nida wasn't one to initiate conversation when Squall was plainly not in a talkative mood. Squall appreciated that about him. The quiet swish of the waves and the gentle rise and fall of their vessel as it rode the water eventually did its job and Squall's unsettled mind and heart finally calmed.

Checking his watch and noting the lateness of the hour, he sighed and finally decided it was time to head downstairs to the infirmary. He'd sleep on the floor there if he had to. But there was no way in hell he'd sleep alone in his bed tonight.

He'd just turned to leave when he heard the lift activate and Quistis arrived, blinking in surprise at seeing him there.

"Squall! Uh, hi," she said awkwardly, flustered at seeing him there and worried that he might look askance at her hanging around Nida while he was busy doing his job. She needn't have worried.

Squall simply gave her a nod and told Nida, "keep the course steady Nida." And he left.

Quistis frowned after him, then asked Nida, "how long was he up here?"

Nida smiled over at her, answering, "a few minutes."

"Did he say anything?" she asked curiously.

"Nope. Just stared out the window." Nida answered.

"Well, didn't you ask him how he was doing or anything?" Quistis prompted.

"No. He wasn't in the mood to talk." Nida said.

Then Quistis laughed quietly, "he probably would have told you to go talk to a wall anyway." Nida joined her in laughter and leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

"Is that your _expert_ opinion, Quiss?" Nida asked.

"Personal experience." She answered, smiling.

* * *

After stopping at home to change into clothing more comfortable to sleep in, Squall padded quietly into the infirmary and made his way to Rinoa's bed. Dr. Kadowaki, probably anticipating Squall's spending the night there, had moved Rinoa to a more private room and had somehow gotten a larger bed for her. Squall appreciated her thoughtfulness.

Rinoa slept peacefully, and didn't stir as Squall approached the bed and reached out, gently moving a dark strand of hair from her face and stroking her cheek.

Moving as carefully as he could, he lifted the light blanket and sheet she slept beneath and got into the bed with her, slipping his arms around her and pulling her close. As he nuzzled his face into her hair, she stirred. He felt her waking mind brush his, and he let her in, embracing her mentally as well as physically.

"Sorry to wake you," he whispered. Rinoa tightened her arms around his and snuggled back into him.

"It's alright. What time is it?" She asked quietly.

"It's late. Go back to sleep." He said, kissing the back of her neck.

"_Are you okay?" _Rinoa sent, overtones of worry coloring the contact.

"_I will be. Eventually. I'm sorry I shut you and Elle out earlier… I..." _Even in his own mind, sometimes Squall wasn't terribly articulate. Finding the right words were difficult, so he simply showed Rinoa what he felt. A flood of comforting love came back from her as she accepted and acknowledged his worry and his fear.

"_We may have to leave Garden, at least temporarily, and move to Deling City. How can I do my job in a completely different place? Work here during the week and come home to you in Deling City on the weekends? How fair is that to either of us? We can't station the Garden in Galbadia for months at a time; they've already got a SeeD academy there. And I don't want to leave you alone." _He told her.

Rinoa sighed, _"Quite honestly Squall, I'm scared too. Dr. Kadowaki told me the same thing she told you, and it scared the bejeezus out of me too. But we'll get through it together. We've faced all sorts of demons, monsters and world-ending battles. We can handle this, right?" _

Squall hesitated a moment, then voiced his greatest fear: "Nothing will ever be the same for us again Rin. This is a huge change, and I'm so afraid of losing us, and what we have. I know no one is the same from day to day, but it won't just be _us_ anymore."

"No, Squall, it won't." Rinoa whispered, "It'll be us and our children. Think about that for a moment. Can you imagine what our son would look like? Our daughter? Will they have your beautiful eyes? My black hair? I know we've got months to go yet, but I already can't wait to see them."

Squall simply held Rinoa for a while as the thought sank in, then he smiled slowly.

"You know what? Neither can I." He said softly. Rinoa shifted around in the narrow bed until she was facing Squall and stroked his face, smiling back at him. The she kissed him gently.

"_I love you." _Her mind whispered to him, and he felt both love and desire from her, and Squall responded with ardent kisses and caresses.

Then he withdrew, frustration battling with arousal as he sent, _"We can't…"_ then he growled mentally, _"It's not fair. You've never looked more beautiful or desirable to me, and I can't touch you!"_

"_You can TOUCH me. And you can kiss me, and caress me…we just can't have intercourse until I see a specialist and we get an all clear from him. There ARE alternatives." _She sent, reminding him of a certain occasion that had, quite literally, blown his mind.

"_Oh. Ohhhh yes. Definitely more of THAT, please. But not until we're back in our own bed. Besides, as badly as I want you now, I'm also pretty tired and we both need to sleep. So, let's bank the fires tonight sweetheart, and we'll come back to it later." _ Squall told her, kissing her gently, lovingly. It was more than sex to him, what they had together, and he let Rinoa feel that as he simply held her close. Gradually their bodies fell into sync, breath and heartbeat settling into a sympathetic rhythm. Calm and comfortable in his wife's arms, Squall finally fell asleep.

* * *

They arrived in Balamb early the next morning. Squall got up, stretching to work out the stiffness from sleeping in such a confined space, and left to get ready for the day. He had hours yet before the combine started, but that didn't mean he would be idle in the meantime.

Kissing Rinoa, who was still sleeping, Squall went back to their apartment, changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and went for a short jog. In spite of the emotional wringing out that Squall had endured the previous day, on top of the very physically taxing gunblade competition, he actually felt pretty good. He had slept well and deeply, feeling rested as he got up despite getting to sleep a little later than he should have. The light jog worked out the last of his stiffness, the stretching and hot shower afterward served to put him in a better frame of mind, and finally, after getting dressed in his battle uniform, he joined Rinoa for breakfast.

"Morning." He greeted her, smiling and stealing a piece of bacon from her plate.

"Good morning to you too. How long have you been up?" She asked curiously as she nibbled on her eggs. She didn't care for the excessive saltiness of the bacon and wordlessly handed the second strip to Squall.

"Couple of hours, give or take. We're in Balamb now, in case you're wondering." He answered.

"When's the Combine start?" Rinoa asked.

"In about an hour." Squall said. Rinoa nodded, then cocked her head to the side, smiling at him.

"I don't think I've ever seen that style of uniform, is it new?" She asked.

Squall shrugged, "no, its not. It's a battlefield uniform, you wouldn't have seen it because most SeeDs are specialists; they don't go into battle often with regular troops. It's the most comfortable and durable uniform I have, and it's just about the only one I can wear if I'm doing the combine." The uniform in question was the typical Balamb navy blue and silver, but the pants were loose fitting, with large flap pockets in the back and down both legs, and they were gathered tight over Squall's boots. The top looked like a fairly standard SeeD uniform tunic top, but it was also rather loose fitting despite being tailored. Squall wore the top zipped up to his neck and an odd arrangement of leather straps crisscrossed his chest and belted at his waist. On his upper left chest was a patch bearing Squall's name, "Leonhart" and on the sleeves were patches showing Balamb Garden's emblem and Squall's rank.

"What's with the leather straps, finally figure out what to do with your extra belts?" Rinoa teased.

Squall laughed, answering, "Yeah, after all this time I've finally learned I've been doing it wrong. No, Rin, it's for my gunblade. See?" He turned around and showed her the long scabbard that rested along his spine. It was currently empty when ordinarily it would have held his Lionheart.

"Oh, I get it. Its to keep the gunblade out of the way when you're running, jumping, climbing, and so on, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. Its kind of hard to run and jump when you've got a meter-long weapon strapped to your leg." Squall said.

"You did okay with it when we were wandering through Ultimecia's Castle and climbing that clock tower." Rinoa commented.

"That's when I thought it might be easier to do it this way. I tried it out the first time I did the combine and it worked pretty well for me." Squall shrugged. Then he checked his watch. He had to leave soon.

"I'd better get going, I need to go check in." He said.

"Aren't you going to eat? Two strips of bacon aren't going to be enough to keep you going. Here, why don't you finish my eggs, all I really wanted was the toast anyway." Rinoa said.

"Alright." Squall said. After he'd eaten he gave Rinoa a quick kiss and left. Sighing, she sank back into the bed. The room felt so much emptier without Squall's vital presence occupying it. She wondered what Guardian Squall had chosen to junction with for the combine.

Curious about it, she asked him mentally, _"Which GF did you decide to take with you today?"_

"_Bahamut." _He answered, and Rinoa got an odd impression of something large looming in the back of his mind. She'd never noticed that before with any of his other GF's, but then, he hadn't used them much lately. Bahamut was the king of dragons, so it stood to reason she'd sense his presence more strongly than the others. He was very powerful.

"_Go get 'em, sweetheart. I love you." _ Rinoa sent with a smile.

"_I love you too Rin. I'll see you later today." _

* * *

Squall stalked toward the start of the combine, Bahamut growling eagerly in the back of his mind. The great dragon hadn't junctioned with Squall for quite awhile, so was more than ready to spring into action at Squall's summons. It had been a long, boring wait for his turn. Squall was in the middle of the order, so he'd had ample opportunity to watch the other competitors run their course.

He'd seen where some of the SeeDs had done well, while others had not. Thus far, all had made it through with only one fairly minor injury; a young SeeD had slipped coming off of one of the climbing walls and landed wrong, breaking his wrist. He'd continued the course, finishing in just under the allotted two-hour time. His had been the slowest time, but the fact that he'd continued and finished while injured had impressed everyone who'd watched, Squall included.

The fastest time thus far belonged to a Trabian SeeD, a lithe girl who'd run the course with uncanny speed. She had been lucky however in not having encountered any of the monsters that roamed the course. It had been rumored that in addition to the T-rexaurs and Snowlions, an Ice Dragon had been seen at the top of the high glacier. No one had encountered it however, so most of the contestants figured someone had seen a large Snowlion instead.

The second fastest time belonged to Seifer. Squall however, was not in this competition just for the challenge. He intended to win.

Squall set himself, waiting for the starter's gun to fire. At its sharp report, he leaped forward, racing toward the first obstacle, a relatively easy to scale nine-foot wall. It had a knotted rope hanging from it to aid in climbing, but with Bahamut's strength augmenting his own, Squall was able, with one prodigious leap, to grasp the top of the wall and pull himself to the top.

He paused slightly to check his surroundings, and finding no monsters waiting below to make a meal of him, he grasped the rope hanging down the other side of the wall. Bracing himself against the wall, he walked down about halfway and jumped the rest of the way to the ground, taking off at a run again, following the trail from the first obstacle as it veered toward thick forest and then into the swamp.

As he did, he heard Bahamut growl again, warning him of a T-rexaur in the area. A crash in the distance signaled that it had seen him.

_DO WE FIGHT OR DO WE FLEE? _Bahamut asked.

_Patience friend, let's choose our ground wisely. We flee for now, until we find a good place to make our stand. _ Squall said, increasing his speed and making for higher ground. He did NOT want to get caught in the uncertain terrain of the swamp by a T-rexaur. He could feel the vibrations of the monster as it tracked him however, so he knew he'd have to make his stand soon or be caught.

A large tree with sturdy branches well above the dinosaur's height helped Squall decide his battle strategy. Quickly pulling on his spiked climbing gloves, he swarmed up the tree like a cat, making for the branch that spanned the trail below, waiting for the huge reptile tracking him. Once there, he removed the gloves and returned them to one of the many pockets in his pants, securing them once again.

Crouching on the branch and using his left hand to balance, Squall pulled his gunblade from the holster on his back with his right hand.

_Be ready Bahamut. It's coming. _He thought. The dragon rumbled eagerly.

The T-rexaur crashed through the thick brush below him, growling hungrily, scenting his backtrail. Squall watched and waited patiently, until the animal was directly below him.

Standing up on the branch, Squall cocked his gunblade and leaped right down onto the monster, aiming the downswing of his gunblade right for the back of the creature's neck.

As he did, he summoned Bahamut, telling him, _"NOW!" _ Squall's gunblade bit deeply into the dinosaur's tough hide, and the pulse ammo compounded the damage as Squall pulled the trigger. Mortally wounded, the T-rexaur roared in pain and rage and tried to crane its head around to bite at Squall, but he leaped off the beast, landing nearly at its feet before performing a diving roll to avoid a tail-swipe. Then Bahamut appeared in a flash of steel-blue leathern wings and blasted the dinosaur into oblivion with his mega-flare attack.

Before he continued on his course, Squall paused to cast a blizzaga spell to put out any fires that had started due to Bahamut's attack, then raced toward his next obstacle. As he ran, he returned his gunblade to the holster on his back, snapping down the strap that held it in place.

The next few minutes were all about speed for Squall as he tried to make up the time he'd lost fighting the T-rexaur. His breath burned in his lungs as he pounded along the trail to the next challenge: the river gorge, and a single rope that served as a bridge.

Leaping up, he grasped the rope in both hands and swung his legs up and around it, locking them together at the ankles. Then he pulled himself along, hand over hand, as quickly as he could, until he reached the other side of the river.

Dropping down from the rope, he continued along the trail. He was tiring, but still strong, and running well. The terrain rose as the trail wound its way toward the mountains and the icefields there, and it became rockier and more treacherous. Squall slowed his pace accordingly, still moving quickly but paying closer attention to where he put his feet to avoid injury.

At length, he came upon another of the obstacles, another climbing wall, the second of the three on the course. This one was fifteen feet high, and again had the knotted ropes, as well as netting hanging from it. Squall increased his pace, taking a deep breath, then using his momentum, leaped as high as he could, grasping one of the ropes about halfway up the wall. Pulling himself up to the top, he again paused to check the other side, and then quickly climbed down.

There was one more climbing wall to do, and then Squall would have to scale a cliff and climb a glacier. _Just another day at the office, _he thought with a smirk as he loped along the trail. So far, he was making good time, the T-rexaur being the only monster he'd encountered as yet. He knew that luck couldn't hold for long, but he wouldn't worry unless he had to.

A couple hundred meters down the trail, Squall reached the third and final climbing wall. This one was more challenging than the other two. There were no ropes at all, just pegs to use as hand- and footholds. And it was the highest of the three walls, at some twenty feet.

Squall paused at its foot to catch his breath, and then began to scale it. He could feel his arms and shoulders beginning to strain as he pulled himself upward. Reaching the top, he went over it and started climbing back down, checking briefly before he did and finding nothing of concern.

Upon reaching the bottom, Squall continued along the course at a trot this time, conserving his strength for the rock-climbing portion. As he did, he shook out his shoulders and stretched them a little to try and keep them limber and loose.

When Squall reached the cliff he had to climb, he paused to study it, looking for the best pathway to the top. He knew from experience that the trail continued from there along the top of the ridge to the glacier. The cliff wasn't terribly high, really, no higher than the last climbing wall that he'd passed. But it was vertical, and the handholds were hard to see.

Brushing his hands against his pants, Squall briefly considered using his climbing gloves, but he'd done better without them in the past, so left them where they were and started to climb. Despite feeling the pressure of time upon him, Squall forced himself to go slowly. The higher he climbed, the more dangerous a slip could be. So, he methodically tested each hand and foothold as he ascended the cliff. Inch by inch, he made his way to the top, shoulders and back feeling the strain, fingers and wrists cramping as he forced himself upward. At one point, thinking he had a good foothold, Squall had just started to place his weight on the ledge when it crumbled beneath him and he lost his balance for a second.

Tightening his grip on his handholds, Squall closed his eyes for a second and swallowed, blowing his breath out in relief as he regained his balance. Proceeding more carefully, he placed his foot on a better, sturdier foothold and continued on.

Finally reaching the top of the cliff, Squall rolled over onto his back for a moment relieved that he'd made it. Sitting up, he reached into one of the pockets along one of his legs and pulled out a small water bottle. It wasn't nearly enough, but it wasn't a terribly hot day, and while Squall was sweating heavily due to his exertions, it wasn't nearly as dry in Balamb as it had been in Galbadia. It would suffice. Squall was more than halfway through the course anyway.

Drinking it down, he put the empty bottle back and got to his feet, continuing along the ridge to the glacier. The trail here was basically rock, mostly level and open and easy to run on. Squall picked up his pace here to make up some time.

All too soon, he reached the glacier, the most dangerous challenge in the combine. Here, Squall had to climb a wall of ice, but it wasn't a smooth wall. It was a jagged, broken, threatening buttress, gleaming blue-white and glittering in the sunlight. It was constantly shifting and changing due to its slow advance and the weather conditions. Pieces of it were constantly breaking away, cracks and crevasses opening up into yawning chasms. One slip here, and it was all over. Chances were if anything happened, they wouldn't even be able to retrieve his body.

More than one SeeD had lost his or her life here in the past.

Here, speed would not be his friend.

Reaching down into a side pocket, Squall fished out a pair of climbing cleats, folded compactly and wrapped up in the leather straps he'd need to affix them to his boots. Putting them on, he stamped his feet a couple of times to make sure they were solid. Then he pulled his climbing gloves back on, making sure they were securely fastened. Finally he checked that the small ice axe that had been bumping at his hip the whole time he'd been running the course hadn't come loose and was close to hand. Tracking his gaze upward, Squall narrowed his eyes, looking for the best route to the top, and hoping that none of the crevasses he'd have to pass near or traverse contained a snowlion or an elnoyle.

Then, he began to climb.


	17. Chapter 17: Double Blind

Chapter 17: Double Blind

Selphie yawned and stretched, rolling over onto her side to smile at Irvine, who still slept soundly beside her. He truly looked adorable, hair mussed and stubble just beginning to show on his chin and cheeks. Cuddling close, she ran her hand up and down his chest, tickling him lightly and smiling as he shifted, stretched, and opened his eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead." She smiled.

"Mornin'" he grunted on a yawn. Pulling her close, he kissed her lightly. The feel of her slender body next to his, the scent of her smooth skin, had a predictable effect and he kissed her again, pressing her close against his body. Trailing kisses from her lips down her neck to her breasts, he was almost too engrossed in what he was doing to notice that Selphie had stopped responding to him. Almost.

Frowning, he looked up, asking, "Selphie? Is something wrong?"

"Um, what time is it Irvy?" She asked, biting her lip. The sun was shining brightly through the closed curtains of the hotel room they'd rented the night before. Still frowning, but for a different reason, Irvine checked his watch. And his eyes went wide.

"SHIT! C'mon baby, we gotta get up and get going NOW!" Irvine said, jumping out of bed and grabbing Selphie's hand to help her out as well.

"Do we have time for a shower at least?" Selphie asked plaintively.

Grimacing down at his still aroused state, Irvine said, "If it's a cold one. Let's make it quick baby, we've gotta go!"

Selphie paused and quirked an eyebrow, saying, "Make _what _quick?"

Irvine frowned darkly at her and growled, "you know damn well what I mean, minx! Now _move_!" He aimed a half-hearted swat at her backside as she giggled and preceded him into the shower.

They were both showered, dressed, out the door, and racing toward the Ragnarok in record time.

Pounding up the boarding ramp, Selphie palmed it shut behind them and plopped breathlessly into the pilot's seat, Irvine following suit moments later in the co-pilot's position. Buckling the restraints, she began quickly flipping switches and pressing buttons in quick succession. Irvine watched, fascinated at her easy confidence in handling the airship. As the engines powered up and everything came online, Irvine noticed a blinking light on the radio.

"Selph, we've got a message." He told her, nodding at the radio.

Biting her lip, she gave him a worried look as she punched the button to play the message.

"Ragnarok, this is Garden, please report your current position and status. This is Nida; you guys were supposed to be here hours ago! Where'd you go? Radio in as soon as you get this message. Garden out." Selphie sighed and turned off the message.

"Crap. We are _so_ busted." She said, worried. As the engines increased in pitch, she flipped more switches and the ship began to rise.

"Nah, that was just Nida. If it was Squall, _then_ I'd be worried." He said, leaning back against the seat, stretching his arms up and yawning widely.

"Well, I hope we don't miss Squall doing the combine." Selphie said, pushing the throttle forward and sending the dragonship screaming toward Balamb. Then, leaning forward, she flipped on the comms and radioed in that they were en route and expected to be in Balamb in minutes.

* * *

They arrived just in the nick of time. Racing breathlessly to Rinoa's room in the infirmary, they were disappointed to find Squall gone and Rinoa alone watching the combine on the television.

"Hey Rin! How's everything?" Selphie bounced up to the bed, giving her a hug. Irvine followed suit.

"Bored. Pull up a chair and have a seat. I'm glad you guys showed up, I was getting a little lonely here all by myself." Rinoa admitted. After Irvine and Selphie had done as Rinoa had asked, they tuned into the event as it ran on the television.

"Has Squall gone yet?" Irvine asked.

Rinoa shook her head, "He's in the middle of the order. Seifer was first, and boy was he peeved when he drew the first slot."

"How's he doing?" Irvine asked.

"Second place. So far." Rinoa answered. Irvine grimaced. Seifer's disposition was likely to be testy afterward, since it was unlikely he would actually _win_ this event.

"So, when's Squall up?" Selphie asked.

Rinoa frowned and said, "There's two more to go, and this is a LONG event."

Irvine smirked, "Two hours, maximum, for each SeeD to run, climb three walls, cross a river on a rope, scale a cliff and climb a glacier. All while trying not to get eaten by wandering T-rexaurs or snowlions. Piece of cake."

"For _you_ maybe." Rinoa said.

Irvine shook his head, "Once was enough for me."

"Me too." Selphie said. Rinoa stared at them.

"You've both done this?" she asked.

Irvine nodded, "Every SeeD has to complete the combine at least once after passing the field exam. Some feel like its overkill, but it _is _actually a really good test of a SeeD's survival and battle skills."

"Wow. I've seen what you guys can do, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I am anyway." Rinoa said.

They turned their attention to the television screen and watched as the SeeDs dared the course. Lunchtime came and went, with Selphie and Irvine remaining with Rinoa to keep her company. At length, Squall's turn came up and they turned up the sound to better hear the commentators.

"Next up for the A-Level Combine is Commander Squall Leonhart. His participation in this event today was called into question yesterday when his wife had a medical emergency that forced him to forfeit the final match against Seifer Almasy for the Gunblade Fencing Championship. As you can see however, Squall is here and competing in this event. A statement was issued last night by none other than President Laguna Loire, Squall's father, who took on the task of being his spokesman." Immediately, the scene shifted to Laguna telling the reporters what Squall had wanted them to know.

"Squall's wife Rinoa suffered a medical event which turned out to be less serious than we had at first thought. She is doing fine and is resting, and Squall is with her now. Squall has told me to assure you all that he does intend to compete in the A-Level Combine tomorrow, so you will see him along with the other SeeDs doing the event."

The scene immediately switched back to Squall as he stalked toward the start and began limbering up, with the commentator narrating, "A side note here as Leonhart warms up, is the fact that of all the SeeDs competing here, he's the only one that's completed this course more than once prior to this event. This is in fact, his _third_ time doing the A-Level Combine, so he has the edge over all of the other participants here in experience and familiarity with the terrain."

Rinoa watched, intrigued as she saw the cold, closed, _focused_ expression on Squall's face, what Irvine had called his "game face", as he readied for the start of the combine. For much of his life, that was the _only_ expression he wore; now he only wore it while working. Rinoa was glad of that, it meant that his journey toward humanity was nearly complete. He'd always be quiet and aloof, that was ingrained into his nature. But he wasn't nearly as closed off from people as he once had been.

The commentators on the television continued, saying, "It should be noted here that despite how rigorous the combine is, it is in fact a _speed_ event. Another interesting fact here is that this event, alone out of all of the activities included in the SeeD games, allows all of its participants the use of what SeeDs call "Guardian Forces" to aid in the contest. When asked about what the Guardian Forces actually are, the explanation was rather vague but essentially they are entities that can assist in situations like this in some way."

"Well, that's a little surprising." Irvine commented.

Selphie nodded, "I didn't think they'd actually tell the reporters about using Guardians during the combine."

Suddenly, the starting gun went off and Squall took off like a shot, racing toward the first wall and leaping easily to the top and pausing for a split second before climbing down the other side.

"Hey Rin, which GF did Squall take for the combine?" Selphie asked.

"Bahamut." She answered.

"Huh. No wonder he looks so fierce." Selphie commented. Rinoa nodded in agreement.

All three of them watched raptly as Squall ran through the obstacles, and Rinoa gasped and put her hand over her mouth when she saw the T-rexaur charging after him. According to the commentators, Squall was firmly in first place at that point.

They all sighed in relief when Squall quickly killed the monster and raced onward, though Rinoa had another nail-biting moment as she watched Squall scale the cliff and at one point, _slip_. The tension increased as she saw him pause to regain his balance, then cautiously proceed.

In no time, it seemed, Squall made it to the glacier. Irvine, Rinoa and Selphie watched as Squall carefully traversed the terminal moraine at its foot, paused to prepare himself, then began his climb.

"This is the toughest part," Irvine commented, as he watched. Neither he nor Selphie wanted to say anything to Rinoa about exactly _how_ tough it was. Or how dangerous. No one yet had been killed during the combine this time, which was undoubtedly good news, but all of the SeeDs watching knew that the glacier climb had claimed more lives than any other portion of the course. Still, Squall looked to have made a good start at it so they all remained silent and watched.

* * *

Squall's boots crunched through the scattered debris at the base of the glacier, the tumbled remains of the towering seracs that loomed threateningly over the trail gradually growing larger as he ascended. It wasn't a _sheer_ climb, at least not yet. This part of the climb, moving from the mud and slush of the terminal moraine thorough the tumbled debris of the lateral moraine, was challenging and dangerous. The bright sun and summer warmth made the ice dangerously unstable; it was however, still a gradual ascent.

The sun reflected brilliantly, blindingly off of the gray-streaked, blue-white ice and Squall squinted, wishing he'd thought to bring tinted goggles or sunglasses. All of the accouterments that he'd managed to fit into the copious pockets of his battle uniform were designed to be portable, and thus were small. And the bulk of what he'd brought along were items he'd need on this climb. Sunglasses, while convenient from a comfort standpoint, were ultimately unnecessary.

If he were going to be out for longer than a few minutes however, he'd have brought tinted goggles. A few minutes in the bright sun wouldn't hurt him or his vision. Squall knew what his limits were.

Four other SeeDs had successfully ascended this same glacier earlier that day and Squall followed their trail, still proceeding cautiously, not trusting that the ice was still as safe as it had been that morning. The day was warm, and there was evidence of a great deal of melt at the base. The glacier would be more treacherous as a result; slick, rotten, weak in spots.

The tumbled blocks of ice grew larger, and Squall was forced to clamber over them, using his ice axe to help him get a grip and stabilize him. A loud crack, echoing like a shot from behind him, caused him to look back quickly to see a huge serac, one of the snarling fangs of ice that Squall had just passed under, slowly fall across the trail, shattering and adding to the jumbled debris.

The climb became harder, the broken terrain more challenging as the chunks of ice and embedded rock became larger still and Squall was forced to use his ice axe more and more often. His breath fogged despite the sun's warmth, and the dry air sucked the moisture from him.

And even with Bahamut's strength supporting him, he was getting tired.

The ice axe drove into yet another chunk of ice, the largest yet, and Squall carefully chopped out a space that could be used as both hand and foothold. Placing one of his feet carefully, he reached for the hold with one hand, the axe in the other. He pulled himself upward, swinging the axe as he ascended. With the extra leverage provided by the axe biting deep into the ice, he advanced slowly.

He hadn't yet seen the need to use the ice pitons or line yet. He only had a limited supply of those items and planned to free climb as far as he could before resorting to the thin cord and ice-spikes.

After an eternity it seemed, he reached the top of the boulder of ice and paused, panting, to survey his surroundings and scan the pathway ahead. He saw signs left behind by the other SeeDs that had gone before, and saw where the warmth of the sun had altered the trail. A clear set of footprints disappeared under yet another collapsed mass of ice and rock; this time however, it obliterated the trail ahead in a wall of dirty white. Apparently, an avalanche had struck the trail sometime after the last SeeD had passed through.

Squall studied it, frowning. It was fresh, and loose, far too unstable to attempt climbing. The ice wall next to it however, appeared fairly solid. None of the other SeeDs had attempted to climb the sheer wall as yet, preferring the established trail as the safer option. Earlier in the day, it _had_ been. But Squall's only option at this point was a vertical ascent up a wall of ice.

Tracking his gaze up as far as he could, Squall estimated he had a good twenty feet of ice to climb to reach the top. What he could see of it, that was. It was entirely possible for there to be several more feet of glacier, rearing upward, that he couldn't see from his current angle. He studied the wall critically; taking note of faint cracks and striations that weren't immediately visible unless one looked closely.

Deciding his route, Squall approached the ice wall and began chopping out footholds. Then he got out his lines and the light harness that went with it, shrugging into it and tightening it down. Reaching up, he took his first ice piton, hammering it into the wall above him and securing his line to it. Giving it a hard jerk, thereby satisfying himself that it was solid, he pulled himself upward.

For the next eternity Squall's world was the wall of ice, his dwindling supply of pitons, and the fatigue dragging at his body and sapping his strength. Chop holds. Secure piton, tie on the line, jerk to make sure of it, pull upward. Over, and over again. No breaks, no pauses, just a steady, inexorable climb to the top. The ice axe was his weapon; the spiked climbing gloves on his hands and the toothed crampons on his boots his anchors.

The wind picked up and moaned eerily through the broken terrain, adding its lonely sound to the desolate landscape. Breath coming hard now, Squall pulled himself upward with aching shoulders, grimly fighting his way up the sheer wall.

Finally, he could see the summit. He was just a few feet from it. He pushed himself, clawing his way to the top of the glacier and over the edge to lay prone, panting. Dimly, he heard a rumbling and he frowned. He didn't feel any vibrations under him, but that low rumbling could signify anything from a coming avalanche to the glacier beginning to break. Levering up to his knees, Squall looked around and in particular at the area where he currently sat. It looked solid and he didn't feel any vibrations or sense any kind of instability, but he decided to move just in case that portion of the glacier decided to give way.

The rumbling grew louder, and a vibration accompanied it this time. Squall got to his feet, looking around cautiously for its source and moved away from the edge of the glacier.

"_LION-HEART. PREPARE YOURSELF. IT COMES." _Bahamut warned him.

_It? _

Squall immediately removed his climbing gloves, replacing them with his usual ones and drew his gunblade. He warily traveled along the glacier, trying to make his way back to the trail, looking for whatever it was that Bahamut had warned him of.

"_What is IT Bahamut? Is it a snowlion?"_ He asked his Guardian, still looking around and picking his pace up a bit, moving as quickly as he dared on the uncertain terrain.

"_IT IS NOT." _The dragon king answered.

The vibration intensified and Squall recognized it as an impact tremor. Something very large was coming his way. What puzzled him however was the fact that despite the apparent barrenness of the glacier top, he couldn't see what it was. He cursed his shortsightedness at not bringing along a pair of tinted, polarized goggles. The sunlight reflecting off of the dirty, gray-streaked surface of the glacier shouldn't have been strong enough to dazzle Squall, but he began to think otherwise.

He was mere yards from rejoining the trail when the vibration suddenly became an earthquake. A sudden blast of icy wind picked up and flung ice crystals into Squall's face and he ducked his head, doing his best to protect his eyes while still trying to ready himself for the attack that he now knew was coming.

Upon the heels of the shrieking attack of wind and ice, Squall heard another, more sinister sound. A hissing snarl. It wasn't a snowlion. Squall had never heard that particular sound before. Blinking his eyes clear, Squall got a brief impression of glittering, opalescent scales, cold violet eyes and huge teeth before he instinctively dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's snapping jaws.

Rolling to his feet, he brought his gunblade up and slashed at the creature's face as it came in for another attack, getting a better look at it at the same time. It was the rumored Ice Dragon. So rare its very existence was doubted, it was built upon the same serpentine lines as the Guardian Leviathan. It was wingless, a glittering pearly white with a bluish cast and spikes around its head and along its back, and long legs with razor sharp talons upon each foot. It was easily as beautiful as it was deadly. Apparently, it_ did_ in fact exist, and it was trying to make Squall its dinner. The beast hissed and snapped at Squall, its sinuous neck angling its head from side to side, trying to get past Squall's guard to bite him. Squall worked his way backward as the dragon advanced upon him, trying to maneuver himself away from the edge of the glacier.

"_Bahamut! It's weak against fire! Mega Flare should take it out!" _Squall sent to his Guardian.

"_INDEED, IT IS WEAK AGAINST FIRE, LION-HEART. BUT SO IS THE SURFACE UPON WHICH YOU STAND." _Bahamut answered. Squall cursed under his breath. The Guardian was right. A mega flare attack _would_ take out the ice dragon, but at the risk of destabilizing the glacier to a dangerous degree.

Squall weighed his options as he dodged yet another attack. He couldn't run; quick as he was, he wasn't fast enough to outdistance the creature. And the cleats on his boots, while helpful for traction, made running awkward.

His only choice was to attack. Mega-flare would do the job all right, but he was standing on a huge chunk of ice, one that could easily shatter from the heat. The summer warmth had already caused more than one chunk to break off from the glacier; seracs were collapsing at an alarming rate, and an avalanche had already happened. It wouldn't take much more to shear off more ice from around the edges of the glacier; right in the area where Squall stood. It might take out the ice dragon, but it could also kill _him_ as well.

Mega-flare would be too much; but a _firaga_ spell, a weaker attack, granted, but a more _focused one_, might work.

Flinging his hand out, he focused his energy and cast the spell at the ice dragon. The fiery onslaught drove the monster back, shrieking in rage and pain. Blinded by the light, injured and in pain, the dragon backed off and Squall seized the opportunity.

Charging forward, gunblade up, he ducked under the dragon's flailing head and snapping jaws, throwing himself feet first onto the ground at the last moment, diving into a slide. His momentum carried him forward across the slick ice and he slid between the dragon's forelegs and under its belly, gunblade still braced upright. The razor-sharp blade sliced through the glittering scales, disemboweling the unfortunate creature as Squall continued his slide along its underside.

The monster screamed and writhed as its blood and entrails burst from the long slash. Unfortunately, Squall was still underneath the creature, and still sliding, and suddenly, he discovered he was in real trouble.

A chance bump from one of the dragon's rear legs sent him over a slight hump on the surface of the glacier, and it turned into a downward slide toward a crevasse that Squall hadn't seen. Thinking quickly, he flipped his gunblade up, hoping it would land somewhere nearby, and grabbed for his ice axe while digging his spiked boots into the slushy ice, made so by the dragon's blood and his firaga spell, desperately digging for some purchase on the lose, slick surface. There wasn't any.

Rolling onto his stomach, Squall took the axe into both hands and slammed it into the ice as hard as he could. It didn't grab anything. Desperately, he tried again, and this time it bit deep, stopping his slide…just as the lower half of his body went over the edge. Dropping his head to the ground for a moment, he let out a relieved breath. Then he started trying to pull himself back up.

The thumping vibrations of the still struggling ice dragon jostled Squall and made it difficult to keep his grip on the ice axe to pull himself back over the edge he was dangling from. Pulling himself forward by sheer will, inch by inch, he got one knee over the edge and dug his foot in the best he could, trying to pull himself over. He nearly managed it. That was until an ill-timed swipe from the beast's tail nearly sent Squall over the edge again.

He now dangled, hanging for dear life onto the ice axe with one hand and digging in with his other. A loud cracking sound made his blood turn to ice, and he struggled harder to win his way over the edge and back onto the top of the glacier.

The tail came his way again, this time a weaker, more random flailing. Squall batted it away, then got an idea and grabbed it instead. Using one hand to pull the ice axe free and the other hand gripping the tapered end of the dragon's still writhing tail, using it as an anchor, he worked his way up.

Chopping the axe into the ice, he used both it and his grip on the dragon's tail to pull himself forward. Finally, panting, sweating despite the chill and mortally glad that he'd managed to stop the potentially lethal slide; Squall was back on the top of the glacier once more. Another, louder crack spurred Squall quickly to his feet. Looking down and toward the edge, he saw faint striations that hadn't been there before.

He hurried back from the edge as first one chunk of ice, and then another fell away into the crevasse that Squall was still too uncomfortably close to. More cracks and more chunks fell, and Squall increased his pace to an awkward, lumbering run.

He passed the dying dragon and saw as its hindquarters suddenly disappeared into the crevasse as a huge portion of the glacier upon which it lay gave way. The rest of the creature's body slid inexorably into the void, and that added wings to Squall's feet as he attempted to outrun the glacier's collapse.

As he did, he caught sight of his gunblade, sticking point down into the ice and grabbed it as he ran past, sliding it into the scabbard on his back and securing it without slackening his pace. Then he picked up his knees and raced toward the marked trail, not daring to look back to see how fast the ice was breaking up and deteriorating behind him.

Finally, he reached the trail and followed it to its end with as much speed as he could manage, not even caring about his time, just simply relieved that he'd survived.

He crossed the finish line, exhausted, and was mildly surprised when he was told that he'd beaten the fastest time, despite having had to tangle with _two_ monsters on the trail.

Too tired to resist the enthusiastic and congratulatory crowd, Squall simply waited it out until everything was made official and he was allowed to go. There were still four more SeeDs competing, but Squall was done for the day.

As he headed back to Garden, the only thing on his mind was getting back home to Rinoa. As he'd struggled for his life on the trail, he was thinking of her, and it was the thought of winning his way back to her that gave him what he'd needed to survive the test he'd imposed upon himself.

_I don't need to do this anymore; _he thought privately, shields firmly closed. _ This is my last time._


	18. Chapter 18: Bulletproof

Chapter 18: Bulletproof

The SeeD games were over. The final event was concluded with Squall the unequivocal winner. The final four contestants had a much tougher go due to the deterioration of the glacier but even so, no one had gotten hurt and one of them even came close to besting Squall's time. Seifer ended up in third place, much to his disgust.

Doctor Kadowaki given Rinoa another once-over and pronounced her fit to attend the closing ceremonies with Squall. Garden was again mobilized back to Galbadia where the closing ceremonies were to be held and Balamb's entire team, all in dress uniform, gathered in the same stadium where they'd started a week earlier.

All the teams stood arrayed in their best on the stadium's field, with those who'd won medals wearing them. The team standings had yet to be announced, but anyone with eyes could see that if Balamb did not win in overall medals, they were damn close.

Irvine's gaze traveled over the team, all of them standing straight and proud behind their commander. All of them, preternaturally still as the closing ceremonies commenced. His eyes tracked to Squall, whose attention was firmly fixated upon the stands and his watching family. Irvine smiled to himself. The expression Squall wore was probably the most open and unguarded one that he'd ever seen on his friend. The soft expression was entirely for the benefit of his lovely wife.

Irvine's attention wandered from Squall and his family over to his own. It only consisted of Selphie at the moment, but that would change eventually. When they were ready. He couldn't help but smile at her sparkling green eyes and sweet smile. A smile that was both joyful and conspiratorial. They shared a secret that they'd debated all night over who to let in on first.

To Irvine's way of thinking, it would have to be Squall and Rinoa first. If nothing else, just to see the look on Squall's face when he told his best friend that he and Selphie had up and gotten married in Trabia the day before the combine.

_Squall buddy, you might be pissed as hell about missing out on doing the best man bit for me, but I kinda think you'd be relieved. That sort of thing just isn't your style. I KNOW you'll be pissed about missing out on the payback for the bachelor party we did when you got married, but too bad. _Irvine thought with a smirk.

He knew his friends would be disappointed to miss out on the occasion itself, and Selphie was already planning a reception to remedy that. Irvine worried a little about the manner in which they'd gone about it however. He'd thought Selphie would want the fancy dress and the big bash, and Irvine had been more than willing to wait while they planned the event together.

But the night they'd spent in Trabia, enjoying themselves at the Shumi Village Resort and Casino, had made them both suddenly decide: why wait? They'd found a quaint little wedding house, just outside the Shumi Village, and it was actually quite beautiful and not at all as tacky as either of them had feared. Selphie had hit the shops and found a lovely, strapless champagne-colored dress, Irvine had rented a tuxedo, and they did it.

They spent the remainder of the night in the bridal suite at the resort, making love. For all that it was a spontaneous, last minute affair, it had come off beautifully and Selphie certainly didn't seem to feel cheated. Irvine's own memories were of the two of them, privately saying their vows to love and cherish each other for the remainder of their lives, and he had to say that it was the most wonderful experience of his life.

Cid was the last speaker for the closing ceremonies, and he'd also be the one to present the team trophy to whichever team had garnered enough medals and points to win the event. Irvine directed his attention to Cid when the headmaster approached the podium that had been set upon the stage in the center of the field.

He watched along with the rest of the team as Cid spoke about the games and all the events that had transpired during them, both on and off the field. He spoke about the courage of all of the warrior athletes that had participated, and he spoke about the unity of who and what they were: SeeD.

Finally, nearing the end of his speech, Cid said, "All of the Garden Academies that participated in these games deserve accolades for their high level of competition and the excitement it brought to all of us fortunate enough to witness it. But one of the teams that participated exhibited such a high degree of skill and prowess during these games that they managed to win the lion's share of the medals, and thus, the entire competition. It is with a great deal of pride that I present this team trophy to Balamb Garden's team captain and SeeD commander, Squall Leonhart."

The watching crowd roared with approval, while Irvine and the rest of the team cheered as Squall strode up to the stage, ascended the steps and approached the podium where Cid stood. Cid handed him the trophy, shaking his hand, then stepped away from the microphone. The crowd fell silent, watching.

Squall simply studied the trophy for a moment, and Irvine bit back a smile at the irritated glare he shot toward Cid before turning toward the microphone and saying simply, "Thank you." He made as if to leave, but then stopped.

Returning to the microphone he said, "Those of you who know me know I don't care for this sort of thing. Speeches are not my forte. But, while 'thank you' pretty much says it all, it doesn't say _enough_. I have to honestly say that this competition has been the most amazing experience of my life. The team of SeeDs that I've had the privilege to lead, not only during these games but during my entire tenure as Balamb Garden's commander, are the best at what they do, and this competition has proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Pausing, he studied the trophy again, and then he turned his attention to his team, saying, "I'm really impressed with all of you. You deserve this."

Raising the trophy high overhead, Squall leaned closer to the microphone, calling out, "Balamb Garden, you _all_ deserve this!" The crowd roared again.

* * *

The party after the closing ceremonies was a pretty raucous affair. Oh, it didn't start out that way, but any place where you had five military academies in close proximity; things could get …out of hand. Fortunately, there were no serious problems.

It didn't hurt that all of the Gardens had their own security forces, so that the increasingly drunk and disorderly SeeDs that were celebrating the end of the games didn't overburden the local constabulary in Deling City.

Irvine smirked at the melee of people still milling in the stadium. The end of the closing ceremonies had signaled the beginning of what had to be the biggest SeeD block party _ever_.

Selphie was in her element, bouncy and happy, her laugh bubbling up over the general din. Making his way over to her, Irvine scanned the crowd and saw no few "SeeD groupies" homing in on the sharply clad SeeDs that had attended the ceremonies. He wondered idly just how many SeeDs would wake up in the morning in someone else's bed.

That was the beauty about being married, Irvine decided. You always knew where you'd wake up and whom you'd wake up _with_.

Stalking quietly up behind his bouncy prey, Irvine slipped his hands around her waist, kissing the top of her head and nuzzling her hair.

"Hey there, Mrs. Kinneas. Wanna come home with me?" He murmured softly into her ear. Selphie laughed softly and turned around, slipping her arms around his waist.

Smiling up at him, she answered, "Certainly Mr. Kinneas." Bending down, Irvine gave her a softly sweet, yet still subtly sexy kiss. God, the taste of her lips…

Dragging in a deep breath, he whispered, "let's blow this Popsicle stand then." Tucking Selphie under an arm, they threaded their way through the throng, with Irvine wondering if Squall had already claimed Rinoa and left as well.

He knew he'd have to talk to Squall soon, if nothing else to request a change in room assignment for Selphie. But that wasn't the only reason. Obviously, he had to tell his friend about getting married and let him know about the reception that he and Selphie were throwing to celebrate it. Irvine had also decided to apply for his instructor's license, and he needed to let Squall know so that they could get the paperwork started.

There was also the little matter of a _honeymoon_ that he needed to arrange time off for.

"Selphie?" he asked as they strolled back to Balamb Garden. The cool night air was freshened with a fragrant breeze, perfumed by flowers from a nearby park as they strolled along the strip through Deling City.

"Hmm?" she answered.

"Where do you want to go for our honeymoon? I don't think we really discussed that," he asked.

"I thought we already _had_ a honeymoon?" Selphie asked, puzzled.

"One night in the bridal suite at the Shumi Village Resort and Casino, however beautiful it was, is _not_ a honeymoon, sweetheart." Irvine said.

"It _was_ beautiful though, wasn't it?" Selphie sighed, remembering. It wasn't as though they'd never made love before, and there was never an occasion where Selphie wasn't fully satisfied. _Ever_. But their first night together as husband and wife was somehow, _different_. Special.

"_You're_ beautiful." Irvine said, kissing the top of her head. Selphie laughed softly.

"So, did you have some place in mind?" Selphie asked.

Irvine shrugged, "I dunno. I could spend a week with you in the bridal suite at that resort where we just were. Or, we could go someplace tropical. You know, sun, sand, surfing? I happen to have a close friend who has access to an absolutely gorgeous vacation villa on the north coast of Esthar."

"You think Squall would go for it?" Selphie asked.

Irvine shrugged again, answering, "Only way to find out is to ask him."

"Ask Laguna too. It's his villa you're talking about, right?" Selphie suggested.

Irvine nodded. He was pretty sure Laguna wouldn't mind. He wasn't as sure about Squall however. He'd have to check. If nothing was pending, maybe he and Selphie _could_ get a week or two off to just be together.

Traffic got lighter and lighter as they reached the outskirts of Deling City, and in no time at all they were walking through the field where Balamb Garden had landed. The fresh smell of green grass and other growing things replaced the smells and sounds of the city; a breeze off the nearby ocean brought the keening calls of seabirds and the distant roar of surf.

They walked in silence, hand in hand, simply enjoying the cool night air and the fresh scent of the nearby sea. It wasn't too much longer before they were walking through the virtually deserted halls of Garden back to Irvine's room.

They passed the cafeteria on the way and Irvine asked, "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Selphie shook her head, "no, but I'm not hungry yet. We can get something later."

"Not hungry, huh?" Irvine asked as they reached his room and he opened the door.

"Not for _food_ anyway," Selphie smirked, running her hands up the breast of Irvine's dress uniform tunic. He caught her hands at his chest and pressed them against him, leaning forward to kiss her.

He closed the door behind her, making sure the lock engaged. Then her fingers began nimbly working at the buckles, chains and other fastenings of the uniform tunic. The first time she'd tried getting him out of his dress uniform, she'd found it to be more complicated then she'd expected it to be, and had nearly dissolved into laughter as they both struggled with it.

_Now_, however, Selphie had figured it out and was actually better at getting things undone than Irvine was. Which was perfectly fine with him.

"This damn thing," she said between kisses, still working at the tunic, "you have to be an escape artist to get out of."

"Good thing we've got all night," Irvine murmured, working his hands under Selphie's shirt to pull it up. They broke off kissing in order for him to pull off her shirt, while Selphie finally, triumphantly, divested Irvine of the uniform tunic, leaving the dress shirt beneath.

"Yeah, that's a _very_ good thing." Selphie said, unbuttoning the shirt and kissing Irvine's chest with each button she undid. Once the shirt was completely opened, Selphie slid her hands underneath it, running them up Irvine's chest again, caressing it. She leaned forward and kissed it again, right over his heart. His arms came around her and he simply held her close for a moment, kissing the top of her head.

Pulling his shirt off, Selphie dropped it on the floor and grabbed Irvine's belt, tugging him toward the bedroom as she unbuckled it.

"You know that's my dress shirt." Irvine commented mildly, smiling at Selphie's insistence.

"It'll be fine." She said, undoing the top button of his trousers and unzipping them. Irvine meanwhile, undid Selphie's bra and slid it off, freeing her breasts. Running his fingers lightly over them and smiling at Selphie's gasp, he cupped them both gently and brushed his thumbs over the nipples, feeling them harden under his hands.

Moving his hands down to her waist, he captured her lips again, kissing them lightly and nibbling gently at her bottom lip before swiping his tongue over her bottom lip. When her mouth opened for him, he closed his eyes, pulled her close against his body and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue in to swipe over hers.

Selphie's hands smoothed up his back, then back down to Irvine's hips, pulling down his pants and taking his shorts with them. He broke off the kiss for a moment, taking a deep breath and removing Selphie's pants as well. Then he sat down on the bed for a moment and removed his boots.

Then he simply sat on the bed for a moment, gazing at her, smiling gently.

"You are so beautiful." He said softly. She stood in front of him, nude and lovely, bathed in golden light from the bedside lamp. Her skin seemed to glow, smooth and flawless, her beautiful green eyes glittered and the coppery curls at the apex of her thighs beckoned. He reached out and brought her closer, between his knees, and kissed first one breast, then the other, teasing the nipples with his tongue while caressing her back and derrière.

Selphie moaned softly as his attentions turned her knees to water and caused her heart to pound in time with the throbbing ache between her legs. Then she gasped and trembled as his fingers found that ache and began to stoke the fire to an unbearable level.

Then, with a primal sound that was half sob and half growl, she pushed him back onto the bed, breath coming fast as she attacked him, kissing him breathless. Tangling her hands into his hair, she nipped at his earlobe, trailed kisses down his neck to his collarbone, scraped her teeth across first one nipple, then the other. Continuing to kiss her way downward, she lightly raked her nails down Irvine's chest, following the path her lips took downward to his navel.

"_You're_ beautiful," Selphie whispered hotly, her breath brushing the tip of Irvine's manhood. He swallowed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back as she teased him mercilessly, lightly touching and caressing him, just enough to make him ache for more. He couldn't hold back a deep moan as her lips closed over him.

"Selphie…God…" he gasped. She nibbled and teased, squeezed and licked at him until he was ready to explode, the tension ratcheting up to breathless pain.

He'd wanted to take it slow, take his time and make it sweet and sensual, but they'd both teased each other into a fever pitch and it was all Irvine could do not to ravish her. Somehow, Selphie knew just when to stop, and Irvine pulled her up onto the bed and rolled on top of her, ravishing her after all.

He branded her lips, face and neck with hot kisses as he thrust deeply into her body, swallowing her cries as he moved. The feel of her slender body beneath him, her nails raking his back, legs locked around his waist drove him to the edge, and he knew it wouldn't be long until they both fell together. He thrust harder, deeper; Selphie's sobbing moans reaching a throaty crescendo before she clenched around him, trembling and digging her nails convulsively into his back as she climaxed.

Irvine's release, just moments later, left him weak, trembling and starved for air as he collapsed on top of his lover…his _wife_. Raising himself onto his elbows so as not to crush her under his greater weight, Irvine brushed a strand of hair away from Selphie's flushed face, smiling down at her. He kissed her swollen, moist lips gently, his pounding heart gradually slowing to a normal rhythm.

"I love you Selphie." He whispered, finally rolling onto his side and stroking her face. Selphie rolled onto her side as well, lying face to face with him and kissing him. She ran her fingers back through his hair, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She snuggled into his chest, kissing it and sighing.

"I love you too Irvine." She said. They lay quietly together, Irvine softly stroking her hair. He felt his eyes growing heavy and blinked them open, not wanting to go to sleep just yet.

"You ready to eat dinner now?" He asked her.

She sighed and shifted, "is the cafeteria even still open?"

Irvine checked his watch, answering, "should be. It's not that late."

"I could really go for room service right about now. I don't want to get dressed yet." Selphie said. Irvine chuckled.

"I don't want you to get dressed either." He laughed as Selphie smacked him gently.

"You got anything in the fridge?" she asked him.

He shrugged, answering, "you know I don't cook. I'm not sure _what_ if anything, is in there. Some beers maybe. Eggs. Not sure what else."

"Then I guess we'll have to shower and get dressed, 'cause I'm hungry." Selphie declared. Irvine chuckled at that and gave her a quick kiss.

"Okay babe." He said, getting out of bed, with Selphie following suit. As she headed toward the bathroom, Irvine reached out and gave her butt a quick pinch, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise.

"Ow!" she whirled and smacked at him, while he cringed back, laughing.

Then she reached back and returned the favor, declaring, "Two can play _that_ game!"

"Hey! Quit that!" he said, laughing harder and trying to avoid her.

"Would you rather I spanked you?" she asked, a wicked glint glittering in her green eyes.

"Uh, no. No spanking, sorry." Irvine said, shaking his head.

"Darn." She said, disappointed.

"You worry me Selphie. Always after my ass." Irvine said.

"I can't help it. It's so cute I can't keep my hands off it. Besides, you're no better." She grinned, walking up to him and putting her arms around him.

"Nope, that's very true. And for the same reason." He smiled down at her and hugged her close, giving her a soft kiss. She pressed herself closer, opening her mouth and letting him deepen the kiss.

"Damn." She murmured, breaking off the kiss for a moment, "now you're going to make me decide between food and sex."

Irvine chuckled, "I vote for food. We need to refuel for round two."

"Well, since you put it that way… race you to the shower."

* * *

Early the next morning, Irvine went looking for Squall, expecting to find him in his office. He wasn't there. Puzzled, Irvine tried to think about where else he might be when the PA paged him.

"Irvine Kinneas, please report to the bridge."

He strode to the lift, wondering what Squall had in store for him. He found Squall consulting with Nida on Garden's impending departure for Balamb. He turned around and blinked to see Irvine already waiting for him.

"That was quick," He commented, then gestured with his head for Irvine to follow him to the lift.

"I was actually looking for you in your office." Irvine said as they entered the lift. Squall punched the button for his floor and glanced over at Irvine.

"Really? Why?" he asked.

"Well, I have a few things to discuss with you." Irvine answered. Squall nodded.

"Personal? Professional?" Squall asked.

"Bit of both, actually. But it can wait until we get to your office." Irvine said.

They reached their floor and the lift doors pinged open. They walked toward Squall's office and he unlocked the door, heading over to his desk.

Pausing to lean against it, Squall asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Scratching at his eyebrow, Irvine ran his hand back through his hair and resettled his hat on his head, suddenly nervous. Squall, watching him, suddenly narrowed his eyes as something on Irvine's left hand caught his attention.

"Well, the first thing is, I want to start the paperwork for my instructor's license. I learned a lot teaching those snipers in Dollet. I figured I should just go ahead and get my license while I'm at it." Irvine said.

Squall nodded, "I was hoping you'd say that." Standing up, he went over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a sheaf of papers, flipping through them before handing them to Irvine.

"Here, I took the liberty of filling in the appropriate areas where MY signature is required, it's just waiting for yours. I'll file it as soon as I get it back from you." Squall said.

Irvine took the papers and looked through them, saying "thanks."

Looking up, he added, "the other thing I wanted to talk to you about is..." he held up his left hand, where a wide band of gunmetal gray rested on his ring finger. Squall stared for a moment, eyes narrowed. Then he met Irvine's eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?" Squall asked.

"Yup." Irvine grinned.

"When did this happen? And why the hell didn't you tell me?" Squall demanded, planting himself firmly in front of Irvine, arms crossed.

"We got married in Trabia the night before the combine. Haven't had a chance to tell anyone, yet." Irvine answered. He began to worry a little. Squall actually looked _annoyed_.

"So _that's_ where you two disappeared to." Squall commented, then he added in a droll tone, "I'm guessing you're wanting a change of room assignments?"

"Among other things, yeah. Any chance Selphie and I could take off for a couple of weeks for a honeymoon?" Irvine asked. He hoped Squall wasn't so pissed he'd be unreasonable. He usually wasn't, but the only thing that could be predicted about Squall was the fact that he was _never_ predictable.

"I don't know that anything's pending right now. I don't see why not. Where are you planning to go?" Squall asked, curiously, moving back to his desk.

"Well, I thought I'd ask Laguna if we could use his villa. I'm feeling the need for some sun and sand." Irvine answered.

Squall suddenly laughed, placing his hand over his mouth, eyes twinkling. Irvine frowned, wondering what was so funny.

"What?" Irvine asked.

"I was just going to tell you and Selphie to fly the Ragnarok to Balamb for me. We're heading back in an hour. Why don't you give Laguna a call? Ask him about the villa." Squall stood up from where he'd been leaning against his desk again, and approached Irvine.

"Now, get the hell out of my office, you bastard. I can't believe you just went and did that! Didn't even give me a chance to get back at you for that stunt you pulled just before my wedding!" Squall growled in feigned anger.

"Sorry buddy, but that's why I did that. Besides, I know how busy you are, and didn't want to add to that by making you my best man." Irvine grinned.

"Well, I guess it's something that you even considered me. I'm still a little pissed though." Squall said.

"Well, would it make you feel better to know that Selphie's planning the social event of the year to celebrate our wedding?" Irvine asked.

Squall rolled his eyes and laughed, "God. Selphie and her parties."

Irvine shrugged, "you gotta admit, they _are _fun."

Squall shrugged in return, conceding the point, "true enough." Then he added in mock severity, "Well, as of right now, you're off for the next two weeks. Go call Laguna, get yourself and your _wife_ out to the Ragnarok and get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you or hear from you for a full two weeks. Got it?"

Irvine stood at attention and saluted Squall, saying, "Yes sir!"

Squall rolled his eyes at this, then grinned, reaching his hand out to shake Irvine's, saying, "Congratulations, man."

Irvine grinned back, saying, "thanks bro. Talk to you later."


	19. Chapter 19: The End is the Beginning

Chapter 19: The End is the Beginning…

Laguna was only too happy to allow Selphie and Irvine to use his villa, and when he learned that they were on their honeymoon, he even went as far as having it cleaned and fully stocked with champagne and other delicacies.

Esthar's north coast, Irvine quickly discovered, wasn't nearly as hot as the interior of the continent. In a climatological sense, it was closer to southern Galbadia or Dollet. Cool breezes wafted in from the ocean, fine, white sand covered the beach and the sea was a gorgeous, crystalline, turquoise blue. Best of all, the breakers were setting up so perfectly, Irvine couldn't wait to get out his surfboard.

And the villa itself, befitting the status of its owner, was truly stunning. It sat atop a rocky bluff overlooking the ocean. The landward side was walled off securely as a security measure to keep out the monsters that still roamed the area, but the side facing the sea was open to the spectacular view.

White-stucco walls and red-tile roofing, along with flowering ivy and hand-painted ceramic tile framing the doors and windows gave the villa a look more reminiscent of southern Dollet's architecture. Certainly it fit its more organic surroundings better than the sterile, glass and steel construction so prevalent in Esthar City.

The villa's interior was open and airy, floored with polished travertine tile in a rich red-brown, softened by hand woven rugs in complementary earth toned colors and flooded with light from the wide windows that were framed by gauzy white curtains.

A pair of glass doors let out onto a deck made of fragrant wood that extended out to the very edge of the bluff. A stairway, cut into the rock itself, led down to the beach below.

Irvine grinned as Selphie ran through the villa, arms outstretched, exclaiming "OOH! Irvy, this place is _gorgeous_! Wow!"

"Helps to have friends in high places, huh?" Irvine said. Then he laughed as she bounced up and threw her arms around him in a bear hug, which he returned enthusiastically.

"This was such a great idea." She said happily, snuggling into him.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"Wanna check out the bedroom?" Selphie asked, grinning impishly.

Irvine grinned back, asking "which one?" There were four bedrooms in the spacious villa, each with its own in-suite bathroom.

"_All_ of 'em!" she declared. Then she detached herself from Irvine's embrace and raced off toward where she thought the first bedroom might be, giggling. Irvine followed more slowly, grinning.

The next few minutes were spent with Selphie giggling and exclaiming over her discoveries to the tune of opening and closing doors. Irvine got into the spirit of the exploration, chasing Selphie from room to room and discovering a game room with a full-sized pool table, a media room complete with a flat-screen television and other intriguing electronics begging for investigation, a formal dining room and a sitting room stocked with comfortable and attractive furnishings.

Finally, they found one of the bedroom suites, and Selphie stopped for a moment and just stared. The spacious room had plush, cream carpeting and was dominated by a queen-sized bed framed in dark wood and covered with snowy linens. Matching furnishings of dark-stained wood completed the room. A pair of glass doors opened out onto the deck, with vertical blinds to afford privacy and light curtains to soften the otherwise harsh angles. The overall effect was the same light, airy, comfortable feel that the rest of the villa had.

The bed looked particularly inviting, and after studying the room in silence for a moment, Selphie grinned at Irvine, and launched herself across the room and onto the bed, bouncing onto it with a whoop of glee. Sighing, she rolled onto her back and snuggled into the fluffy bedding. She laughed as Irvine landed next to her with a thump, bouncing her up with his greater weight.

"This is SO comfortable." she sighed. Irvine rolled onto his side, propping his head on his fist, smiling at her.

"You wanna try it out?" he suggested with a grin. He reached over and playfully flicked at a lock of her hair. Selphie laughed softly and rolled onto her side, facing him, and reached behind his neck to pull him into a kiss. Immediately he pulled her close to his side and deepened the kiss, leaving her breathless.

Pulling back, she laughed, "tempting. Very tempting. _But_…" She rolled away and bounced off the bed and back onto the floor, continuing, "There are three other bedrooms we have to check out before we decide which one to use." She looked back and gave Irvine a saucy wink before skipping out the door.

Irvine followed, amused. The other three bedrooms each came with generously proportioned beds, and plush carpeting, but each had a different décor. One had carpeting in a pale slate gray, walls painted pale green-gray and light-stained wood furnishings. Another of the rooms was painted a beautiful shade of blue-green, with the carpeting a neutral beige color. The final room had walls painted rich brown, golden wood furniture and a light tan carpet.

Of all of the various bedroom suites they had explored however, only the first one had the patio doors. Selphie decided she liked that one best, so she grabbed a by now bemused Irvine by the hand and dragged him back there.

"This one's the best one. What do you think?" Selphie said, green eyes sparkling.

"I agree. The other rooms were nice, but I'm with you. I really like the patio doors. We could eat breakfast on the deck in the morning." Irvine said, smiling.

"I guess we should get our stuff and unpack, huh?" Selphie said.

"Yeah. But _first_…"Irvine bent down and swept Selphie up into his arms, carrying her over to the bed and gently laying her down onto the bed. He joined her and pulled her into his arms.

"I still think we need to try out the bed." He grinned at her before covering her lips with his own. Selphie ran her fingers back through Irvine's hair, flipping his hat off with a stifled giggle against his lips.

"Hey now," Irvine chided softly "don't abuse the hat."

Selphie tangled her fingers into his hair again, saying, " It was in the way." She pulled him into another hot, wet kiss, tangling her tongue with his while combing her fingers through his hair and pulling off the band that confined it into his trademark ponytail. He pulled back a moment and shook his hair out, grinning down at her.

"You're such a stud." Selphie smiled back.

"You know it baby." Irvine kissed her again, pulling her tight against him as he sucked, sipped and nibbled at her lips, neck and earlobes. Running his hand up one slender thigh he cupped her pert behind, pressing her lower body close to his, letting her feel his excitement.

Those tiny denim shorts she'd worn, showing off her long, slim legs and tight backside, had ignited a craving to strip them off and sink into her warmth that Irvine had been fighting the whole time they'd been packing and readying to leave.

"I've been waiting all day for this," Irvine whispered between kisses. He slipped one hand beneath Selphie's shirt, undoing her bra in one deft movement and helping her remove both garments. Then he raised himself up for a moment to take his own shirt off.

"So have I," Selphie said, caressing his naked chest. Irvine pulled her into another kiss, caressing one of her breasts, trailing his lips down her neck to plant a soft kiss between them. Taking one into his mouth, he teased the nipple with his tongue while simultaneously caressing and fondling the other as Selphie moaned and speared her fingers through his hair.

He could have stayed like that forever, simply kissing and sucking at her breasts while she continued running her fingers through his hair, because it felt damned good. Then Selphie gasped and arched her body toward him, encouraging him to explore it further. Taking her movements as an invitation, Irvine moved downward, kissing her down the middle of her body while gently skimming his hands down her sides.

Selphie quivered as he warm breath brushed her navel, and gasped as he quickly undid and slipped her shorts and panties off, leaving her bare. He snuck a look up at her and grinned at the blatantly sensual expression she wore. Eyes closed, bottom lip caught between her teeth, head lolling back on the bed. Then he continued lower.

"Irv…Ah! Ohhhh…" Selphie sighed and writhed as Irvine's fingers touched her intimately, caressing her and teasing her. When his tongue replaced his questing fingers, she shuddered uncontrollably, crying out in ecstasy.

"Please…" she moaned, body aching for more. Irvine happily complied, stripping off the rest of his clothing and joining with her. With his own body aching for release, it was all Irvine could do to keep control and not end things too soon.

He managed however, driving them both to the edge, hard and fast, with Selphie panting and writhing beneath him before she shuddered and cried out, clutching her arms and legs around him. Selphie's pulsing tremors squeezed him, and Irvine climaxed moments later, gasping and trembling as he collapsed on top of her.

He raised himself up on his elbows and kissed Selphie softly, heart still pounding. She raised her hands up to his hair and playfully ran her fingers through it yet again, mussing it.

"Yeah, I think we'll take this one." Selphie smiled up at him. Irvine grinned down at her. Then he closed his eyes and sighed as she continued to comb her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp.

"You look so sexy with your hair all messed up like that." She said softly.

"So do you." Irvine replied, smoothing his hand over Selphie's hair. Finally moving off of her, he lay on his side next to her, lightly skimming his hand up her body and making her shiver again as he followed the line down to her left hand and lacing her fingers with his.

He pulled their joined hands up between them, squeezing Selphie's hand gently, the glorious diamond he'd bought her winking at him. Oddly, she had opted for a relatively plain band to surround it as a wedding ring; perhaps because the diamond was so beautiful anything more would simply detract from it. For him, the plain band in gunmetal gray was perfect. When Selphie had asked why he didn't go for a gold or platinum band, he'd told her he liked the gunmetal color because it matched his gun. She'd simply laughed knowingly.

"Think maybe we ought to bring our stuff in and unpack?" Irvine asked.

"Yeah. It's not like we won't have all night to do this." Selphie said, sighing and stretching like a cat. Irvine raised his eyebrows and smiled in appreciation, then pulled her close, kissing her.

"Very true. Although, if you keep doing that, we might not leave this bedroom for another hour or more." Irvine said, stroking her back and caressing her behind.

"Can't have that, we've got other things to do." Selphie said, pushing against Irvine. He sighed and got up, searching for his clothes. Pulling his jeans on, he left them undone while he searched for and pulled on his socks and then his boots, then his t-shirt. Tucking it in, he finally fastened his jeans and belt, and went looking for the band Selphie had pulled out of his hair.

He really, desperately wanted to comb it out and pull it back again, but his brush was packed away with the rest of his personal items on the Ragnarok. Raking his hair back in frustration, he frowned. It wasn't as though anyone else was there to see what he looked like, but that was beside the point. He just hated having tangles in his hair.

"Hey Selph, did you see where that band went when you pulled it off my hair?" he asked, still frowning. He sat back down on the bed, looking around for it.

"Ummm…" she rummaged around the bed, finally locating the band.

Kneeling down behind him on the bed, she put her arms around him and kissed him on his ear, saying, "here, let me."

"You brought a brush in with you?" he asked.

"Yeah, in my purse. Where's yours?" she asked, getting it out and starting to gently brush his hair from the bottom up, being careful of the snarls.

"Still packed with the rest of my stuff." He said. It felt odd, having Selphie brush his hair. It felt odd having _anyone_ but him touch his hair, for that matter. He'd never allowed anyone else to brush or otherwise mess with his hair. Even getting it trimmed made him nervous. It was rather a nice sensation, all things considered. She didn't tug or pull, and seemed mindful of his sensitive scalp. He sighed.

Selphie, for her part, was enjoying herself. She'd wanted to get her hands on his hair for ages. Quite simply, it was beautiful. Long (_very_ long. It fell nearly to his waist), thick and silky, it was a rich golden brown with just a hint of red. She already knew how gorgeous it looked with sun in it, bringing out the gold in broad streaks. She knew women who envied his hair, and Selphie thought it was kind of funny how _vain_ about it Irvine was. The best part was its natural curl. It had just enough wave to look nice, not enough to get overly frizzy. Not usually at any rate.

She remembered rainy days in Balamb when the humidity _had_ caused Irvine's hair to frizz. She thought he looked cute with curling tendrils of hair framing his face and fluffing out his ponytail, though she knew he hated it.

"Do you want me to braid it?" she asked.

"Sure. Long as you don't put a ribbon on it. I have my limits about that, you know." He answered.

Selphie snorted, "I think you'd look cute with a black bow on the end, but suit yourself."

"_Cute_, huh? Sorry, I'll pass." Irvine said. Selphie began coming her fingers through his hair, gathering up the strands and separating them out into sections. Brushing his hair back from his face, she started at his crown, braiding close to his head. She quickly worked her way down to the end, somehow keeping it all smooth and even…again, no tugging, for which he was very grateful. Finally fastening the end with the band, she flipped it over his shoulder to show him her handiwork.

"Nice," he commented, running his fingers down the smooth rope of hair she'd created.

"Turn around, let me see." Selphie ordered him. When he did, she grinned widely.

"Very nice. You look good baby!" Selphie said, coming around to stand in front of him, smoothing a few stray wisps of hair back from his face and giving him a kiss.

"I do? It feels weird." He said, getting up to check and picking up his hat along the way.

He studied himself in the bathroom mirror in silence for a moment. It certainly _looked_ different. The way Selphie had braided his hair had pulled it back from his face completely, making it look as though he'd cut it off. He wasn't sure if he _liked_ the look or not, but he couldn't deny that the slicked back hair had a certain…_aura_…to it. It _did_ look neater than he usually wore it, and he thought that if he had to go formal or full uniform again, this might be more in line with the polished, disciplined look such attire might demand.

Then he put his hat on. And grinned. Yeah, with the hat, the look definitely rocked. Tugging the brim down low, he turned around and leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, giving Selphie a smoldering look.

"Yee-haw, you sexy cowboy you." She said, coming up to him and sliding her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her in response and hugged her tightly.

Bending down to kiss her lightly, he said, "let's go get our stuff."

* * *

Later, after they'd unpacked, Selphie stood with Irvine, leaning against the deck railing looking at the breakers crashing against the sand. The afternoon had progressed to the point where everything was bathed in golden light, the last gasp of the sun as it slid inexorably down into oblivion. A breeze had picked up and teased Selphie's hair, while tugging away wispy strands of Irvine's securely braided locks.

"Why'd you bring two surfboards?" Selphie asked.

"Thought you might like to learn how to surf." Irvine answered, and then he added, "I was kinda planning on doing a little surfing tonight before it got too dark. Wanna come?"

Selphie shrugged, "sure."

"Great. Let's get our swimsuits on and hit the beach!" Irvine said, leading the way back into the bedroom and getting his shorts out. He took his hat off and tossed it onto the bed, then stripped off his shirt. Sitting down on the bed to remove his boots and the rest of his clothing, he caught sight of Selphie undressing and grinned. She was so damned cute…. maybe they could put off the surfing until morning? When she put on her teeny little yellow bikini, Irvine had to take a deep breath and focus fiercely on _surfing_… because otherwise they'd never leave the room.

He quickly finished changing into his board shorts and led Selphie out onto the deck, grabbing his surfboard and handing the spare to Selphie to carry down the stairway to the beach.

For the remainder of the evening, until it got too dark to see, Irvine showed Selphie how to balance on the surfboard and ride the waves. Fortunately, the breakers that were rolling in to the beach were gentle ones. The larger waves that Irvine had seen earlier had calmed down, much to his disappointment. Still, it was fun showing Selphie how to surf, and she actually seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Heading up the beach later, Irvine said, "you did pretty well for a first timer out there. Can't wait to see how you handle the waves tomorrow. They've got to set up real nice in the mornings here."

Selphie grinned over at him, "Yeah, that was fun. But I'm starving now, I hope Laguna stocked some food for us, because we didn't bother stopping to shop on the way over."

"He said he would, so we should be okay. We'll see what's in the fridge when we get back to the villa." Irvine said.

Once they got back up onto the deck, they laid the surfboards aside and Irvine went to investigate the kitchen while Selphie decided she needed to shower off the sand and saltwater. As promised, the refrigerator and freezer were adequately stocked; fortunately, with items that didn't require a great deal of culinary skill. Irvine knew exactly what _his_ skill level was, and he didn't want to make any assumptions where Selphie was concerned.

It was odd, but the subject had never come up. Irvine's inability to cook was well known. But Selphie was so busy most of the time Irvine had no idea if she could cook anything or not. Just because he'd never seen her do it didn't mean that she _couldn't_.

But…Irvine studied the contents and decided that not even _he_ could screw up fresh fruit, cold cuts, cheese and bread. Add champagne, and suddenly it was dinner for two. So thinking, Irvine located a platter, two fluted champagne glasses, two smaller plates and some utensils, and got busy assembling their dinner.

Moments later, Selphie emerged from the bathroom feeling much refreshed. She'd put on her favorite green silk robe… a gift from Rinoa. Underneath, another gift Rinoa had given her that Selphie had never had the opportunity to wear. Until now.

"Irvine?" she called out, looking for him.

"Out here babe," He answered. Selphie followed the sound of his voice out onto the deck, where he'd set up their dinner on a small side table between the two lounge chairs. The last of the light had died along with the breeze, and full dark had fallen. A couple of candles sat on the larger patio table to provide light, and an opened bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice on the deck between the lounges. Irvine lay back on the lounge closest to the glass doors that led to the bedroom, glass of champagne in hand.

Selphie leaned against the doorway and took in the scene, smiling at him. He looked mouthwateringly sexy. He was still wearing his deep blue board shorts but nothing else, long legs stretched out on the lounger in front of him. The candlelight picked out golden lights in the braid that draped over one shoulder and partly down his bare chest. She studied the play of light and shadow on his skin, the muscles beneath shifting and moving as he took a deep breath and raised his glass to take a sip.

"Care to join me? There's plenty of room here." He said, patting the lounge beside him. Damn, but she looked good in that robe. Even in the dim candlelight, she looked beautiful. He didn't remember ever seeing her wear it before.

"Okay." Suiting words to action, she walked over to the lounger and sat down next to him. He smiled gently and handed her a fluted glass full of champagne.

"Hope you're okay with cold cuts and fruit. I figure it's safe enough since I didn't have to actually _cook_ it." he said.

Selphie laughed softly and took a sip of the champagne, "Mmm. Good stuff." Looking over at the platter she added, "that looks pretty good too. Simple, uncomplicated. Yummy."

Gazing over at her, Irvine snaked an arm around her, running his hand lightly down her back, loving the soft, slick feel of silk over her warm skin. He frowned slightly as he felt something underneath the thin fabric. Tugging at her gently, he silently urged her closer and she relaxed against him, shifting until she was comfortable.

"_You_ look yummy." Irvine murmured, dropping a soft kiss on her shoulder. Suddenly, dinner wasn't half as interesting as the lovely young woman next to him.

"Where'd this come from? I've never seen it before. Is it new?" He asked, smoothing his hand down from the brief hem, fascinated by the contrast between the soft fabric and her soft skin.

"I've had this for awhile. I've just never had an occasion to wear it. Not until tonight that is." She answered.

"Really? So, is there anything more to this?" he asked, interested. _Very_ interested.

"Yes, and you'll see the rest of it later. For right now, though, I'm more interested in those strawberries. They look delicious." Selphie said. Irvine obligingly set his champagne down and reached out a long arm and picked up a plump berry, offering it to her. Instead of simply taking it from him however, she leaned in close, eyes sparkling impishly, and delicately licked the end of it. Irvine's mouth went dry.

Then she took it from his nerveless fingers and slowly bit into it, closing her eyes as she savored the sweet-tart fruit. Irvine expelled a breath, his heart suddenly racing, and reached down to pick up his champagne again and down a healthy gulp.

"Mmmmm… Yum. More, please." she said, sighing, sipping the champagne to wash it down.

Irvine laughed softly as he reached for another berry, saying, "you're killing me, babe." Selphie waggled her eyebrows and gave him a wicked grin in response. Taking the berry from him, she slowly took another bite. Irvine's mouth watered just watching her, and it wasn't because he was hungry. Not for _food_ anyway.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Selphie asked innocently.

"Too busy watching _you_ eat." Irvine said with a grin.

"Humpf. Well, you need to eat too, can't have you passing out on me." Selphie declared.

"Yeah? And what are you going to do, feed me?" Irvine challenged. He sincerely hoped so. If she did, one of his fondest dreams would come true. _One_ of them, anyway. They had plenty of time to work on the other nine hundred and ninety-nine million.

"I guess so." Selphie said, reaching over him toward the platter. It was too far and she lost her balance and fell across him instead. He caught and steadied her, catching the gleam in her eye that told him that her "fall" was not entirely accidental. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her close and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

He closed his eyes, tasting wild honey, champagne and strawberries, feeling her warm body against his, and let himself drown in her. He felt her shift until she was on top of him fully, straddling him. Pulling back, she sat on top of him, the impish smile telling Irvine that she was definitely in a playful mood. He smoothed his hands up and down her thighs, knowing she could feel how she was affecting him. Just watching her eat that damned strawberry had him hard and aching in an instant.

Turning away from him for a moment, she reached over to the platter and selected a ripe berry. Then she turned back to him and placed it gently against his lips. Remembering back to when she'd given him ice chips after he'd been shot, Irvine closed his eyes and remembered how erotic he'd thought it was. But it was nothing compared to _this_.

"Open up sweetie. Gotta keep up your strength you know. We've got two whole weeks to get through." Selphie said softly, running the berry against his bottom lip. He reached up and took it from her, biting into it, enjoying its tart sweetness.

"Good, huh?" she asked, reaching for another berry and opting to eat it herself this time.

"Very." He said, swallowing. She next reached for a bunch of grapes and tantalized him by dangling them above her head and delicately biting one off. Instead of simply eating it however, she held it in her teeth and delivered it to him with a kiss. After he'd finished it, she simply plucked another grape off and put it against his lips where he obligingly sucked it into his mouth and ate it.

When she reached over for another piece of fruit, Irvine stopped her by pulling her back down against him for a searing kiss. He wasn't hungry for food, not anymore. He devoured her mouth, breath coming short and heart pounding.

When Selphie pulled back, breathing as hard as he was, it was obvious her mind was running along the same track his was. He ran his hands up her thighs again as she untied the knot to her robe, opening it to reveal what lay beneath. Irvine simply stared for a moment before he remembered to breathe.

"Wow.." he whispered. The silken green robe had parted to reveal an emerald green strapless corset with matching bikini panties. It was the sexiest thing Irvine had ever seen Selphie wear, and she looked absolutely stunning in it. In all the time that he'd known her, Selphie had _never_ worn lingerie like this. He hadn't even known she had it.

"Where'd this come from?" he asked when he could find his voice again.

"Bridesmaid's gift from Rinoa." Selphie answered.

"You've had it this long?" Irvine asked. She nodded.

"And you've never worn it?" He wondered. Selphie had been dating someone else last year when she'd been helping Rinoa get ready for her wedding. But he believed her when she said she'd never worn it. She'd saved it instead… for _him_.

Selphie shrugged, "there never seemed to be an occasion _special_ enough to warrant it. Not until now."

Then Irvine let out a breath, saying, "You look…unbelievable. Stunning. Sexy as hell." He reached up to her shoulders and caressed them, pushing the robe down her arms and off. Sitting up, he pulled her close, kissing her breathless again, smoothing his hands up and down her back over the corset. Breaking off from her lips, he skimmed his lips along her jaw line and down her neck. Her head fell back as he nibbled his way down to her collarbone and then to her cleavage, kissing along the top of the corset. Running his hands up her sides to her breasts, he brushed his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden underneath the thin fabric.

Coming back to her lips, he kissed her deeply, intoxicated by the flavor of champagne, strawberries and sunshine that was so totally, uniquely Selphie. Skimming his lips back to her ear, he sucked and nibbled on the earlobe, smiling to himself as she shivered in response.

Breathing hotly into her ear, he whispered, "Now, take it off. You look lovely in it, but I want to feel and taste your skin."

Gulping, breath ragged, cheeks flushed and lips moist and swollen, Selphie nodded and started working on the fastenings. Irvine lent a hand in between kisses. Once the corset was removed and tossed to the side, Irvine lightly trailed his fingers over Selphie's exposed skin, making her shiver again.

She moaned softly as his lips replaced his fingers as he kissed and lightly nipped his way over her chest, making her gasp when he reached her breasts and teased them mercilessly. Slowly, he lay back onto the lounger, pulling her down with him.

There was some shifting around as their remaining clothing was removed and Selphie straddled him once again. Running her hands up and down his chest, Selphie kissed and nibbled on his neck and chest as well, tasting the sea on his skin. Then Irvine reached out and grasped her hips, guiding her, and Selphie moaned and bit her bottom lip as they became one.

They moved together, gradually increasing the pace, hearts pounding and heat rising between them. Selphie tangled her hands into Irvine's hair, pulling strands loose from the braid, kissing him with everything she had in her. Irvine's hands were on her hips still, helping her set a pace that left them both breathless, striving toward completion. Sitting up once again Irvine kissed and caressed Selphie's neck and breasts, leaving her gasping and moaning as they continued loving each other. Then Irvine wrapped his arms around her and they held each other tightly; passion building to an unbearable level before first Selphie, then Irvine reached the peak of passion, shuddering together in its wake.

Breathing hard in the aftermath, Irvine sprinkled kisses all over Selphie's face, causing her to giggle. He grinned at her response and kissed her deeply once more, caressing her cheeks and running his hands back into her hair.

"So much for dinner huh?" he whispered breathlessly.

Selphie laughed softly, "We can still eat. I think we've worked the lustiness out of our systems enough where we can actually concentrate on something else now."

Irvine laughed in response, "you don't know me very well, do you?"

"I didn't say I _wore you out_, I just meant to say we worked the edge off." She answered, smiling down at him.

"Yeah, we did at that. And I'm actually really hungry now." He smiled at Selphie, caressing her sweat-slicked skin and loving the feel of it under his hands. The corset thing she'd worn was beautiful to look at, but when it came right down to it, nothing compared with the beauty of his wife in her own skin.

Selphie pushed against him then, prompting him to lie back onto the lounger so she could cuddle into his chest for a moment, kissing and nuzzling him. His arms automatically came around her, hugging her close before she shifted and disengaged from him, leaving him briefly to retrieve her robe. Sighing at seeing Selphie's lovely body covered up again, Irvine located his shorts and put them back on.

Pouring the last of the champagne into both of their glasses, he set about assembling a couple of sandwiches out of the meat and cheeses on the platter. The breeze finally picked up again, cooling them. It had been a long time in coming, the entire evening had been almost sweltering, and the recent amorous activities that Selphie and Irvine had engaged in certainly had heated them both up.

Selphie sat back down next to him and wordlessly took the sandwich he offered her.

"Thanks hon." She leaned against him and kissed his shoulder before taking a bite. He put his arm around her and hugged her, kissing the top of her head before picking up his own sandwich and starting to eat.

"I put in the paperwork for my instructor's license." Irvine said after he'd finished the bite he'd just taken.

Selphie paused, swallowing the bite she'd been chewing and asked, "You did? When?"

"Just before we left, when I asked Squall for time off. I got the paperwork then, and signed it and dropped it off just before we took off. He's probably already filed it." Irvine answered.

"That's great," Selphie smiled, "you'll make a great teacher." Irvine smiled and took another bite of his sandwich. He was surprised at himself, at how much he actually _had_ enjoyed training the snipers in Dollet. Even if there wasn't an opening for an instructor right away, just having that as an option opened up a lot of possibilities for him. He couldn't be an active SeeD forever, not if he wanted to live past thirty. Squall already had his position as Commander, so if he never wanted to do another field assignment again, he wouldn't have to. Irvine didn't have that luxury. If a job came up that required his particular skills, he went. Of course, his skill was usually employed far from any direct action, but it was by no means a _safe_ occupation.

Nearly being killed in Dollet had certainly illustrated that fact vividly. And Selphie… well _her_ skills were even more dangerous than his. Flying the Ragnarok was dead easy, and Selphie had improved her skills in that area to an impressive degree over what she'd known how to do three years ago. No, her _other_ skills, the ones that weren't commonly known…_those_ were the truly deadly ones. Playing around with explosive substances was even more dangerous than facing a hail of bullets alone. What that meant for the two of them, Irvine had no idea.

He knew what _he _was going to do, to ensure that they had a future together, but he wouldn't presume to tell Selphie what to do. At any rate, her demolition skills weren't called upon often, and Irvine could always request to go along as her backup when they were.

"You know when you'll start the training?" Selphie asked him.

Irvine frowned, "not sure. They don't do instructor training at Balamb, instead they transfer temporarily to Galbadia Garden for the training course."

"How long does the course last?" she asked. Would they have to separate while he was being trained? Selphie wasn't sure she liked the idea, not just after they'd gotten married. It wasn't that she didn't _trust_ Irvine… not entirely at any rate. She simply didn't want to be apart from him for however long the training course took.

Irvine sighed, "four months. A full semester. I'll see if Squall can arrange temporary duty for you there as well so we won't have to be separated."

Finishing her sandwich, Selphie slipped her arm around his waist and gave him a brief hug before picking up her refilled glass of champagne and taking a sip.

"We'll figure that out when we get back. Too many things we don't know yet." Selphie said logically, then carefully selected some fruit and began nibbling on it.

"Yeah, you're right." Irvine said, following Selphie's example and helping himself to some grapes.

"In the meantime," Irvine said, sipping his champagne, "we have two whole weeks here. Think you can handle sun, surfing and sex with me for two solid weeks?"

Selphie laughed, "maybe for the first few days. Then all that sun and surfing is bound to get old."

Irvine grinned, "not the sex though?"

"No, not the sex. Although after two weeks of this, we might both be walking funny." Selphie said.

Irvine laughed, "Baby, I don't think I can keep this…_intensity_...up for the whole two weeks. Even _I _have my limits."

"I guess we'll just have to pace ourselves." Selphie smiled at him. Irvine smiled back, admiring the golden glow that the candlelight gave her skin and the sparkle it put into her green eyes. Reaching over to her, he caressed her face, leaning in for a soft kiss.

"I love you Selphie." He said quietly.

"I love you too Irvine. I'm glad we went ahead and got married." She said, leaning against his shoulder again.

"You don't feel cheated then, that we didn't do the big production with all your friends and stuff?" Irvine asked, caressing her back.

Selphie shook her head, "No, that simple little ceremony, that was perfect. Beautiful. The reception when we get back will be good enough for me."

"Well, that's good to hear anyway." Irvine said, then he yawned. The exertions of the day combined with the alcohol in the champagne were starting to make him feel sleepy.

Patting Selphie on her hip, he kissed her temple and said, "I don't know about you sweetheart, but I could really use a shower and bed right now. I'm beginning to get tired."

"Go ahead hon, I'll take care of this stuff." She said, indicating the remains of their dinner.

"Alright. I'll be done in a few minutes." He said, getting up and going into the bedroom.

While he was showering, Selphie put the remaining food away, brought in the champagne bucket along with the glasses and other dishware, and discarded the empty bottle.

Yawning, she went into the bedroom and heard the shower running. She was tempted to join him, but she was tired and decided instead to crawl into bed, snuggling down into the fluffy mattress and linens, sighing happily.

Selphie was enough of a realist to know that marriage to Irvine wouldn't be as perfect and beautiful as this all the time, but for the moment at least, it was heavenly. Relaxed by the champagne and tired out from both surfing and sex, Selphie fell asleep in moments.

Shortly afterward, Irvine exited the bathroom, towel around his waist, to find her sleeping soundly. In repose, she looked beautiful and innocent. He smiled gently at the sight, feeling his heart constrict.

Dropping his towel, he turned the lights out and slid into bed, slipping his arms around Selphie and giving her a light kiss.

"Good night sweetheart" he whispered.


	20. Chapter 20: Is the End

Chapter 20: …Is The End

Laguna sat in the main library in the presidential palace complex, perusing yet another dusty, all but forgotten document, much as he'd done nearly every evening since returning from Balamb. He was searching the oldest records he could find, and thus far, they had all provided him with the same information. Not one sorceress recorded had ever given birth, or even become pregnant. Not one.

So, that left him completely baffled on two fronts: How had Rinoa become pregnant, and what would the result be?

Laguna didn't know, and he didn't have enough information to even speculate on it. The records in the Estharian National Library were as complete as it was possible to get. Laguna had found chronicles here of Ancient Centra that he hadn't thought existed. He had even learned, much to his surprise, that the Leonhart family had once been nobility in that ancient empire before it had fallen. So, if any record existed at all of the earliest of sorceresses, the direct descendants of Hyne herself, it would likely be found here. _If _it existed at all. He had not yet found those chronicles.

Still, he continued searching, looking for anything at all that would answer his questions and ease the worry that nibbled away at the back of his mind on the behalf of his son and daughter in law.

Finally he sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples to soothe away the headache that was beginning. He knew it for eyestrain, and reflected ruefully that he would have to start wearing reading glasses if it was starting to bother him _that_ much. Yet another sign of advancing age that Laguna was less than happy about.

"Ah. Zhere you are. I haff vondered vhere you haff been." Odine said, wizened face and jet black eyes alive with curiosity.

"I'm researching something." Laguna said noncommittally.

"How are your son and his vife? They are vell?" Odine asked.

Laguna nodded wordlessly. He wasn't sure how much information had filtered down to Esthar yet from Balamb, and he didn't know if Rinoa and Squall had made a formal announcement of their impending parenthood yet, so he decided to keep mum on that subject for the moment at least. He knew the news couldn't be kept secret for long however, Rinoa's condition would eventually become obvious.

And he had no idea what would happen once that information reached the ears of the little man standing before him.

_We're going to have to keep a closer watch on him. No telling what he may decide to do once that miraculous bit of news reaches him. _Laguna thought.

"Vhat are you researching?" Odine asked.

"Sorceresses. I've always found it curious that there is no record of any sorceress bearing children. I'm just trying to find out why." Laguna answered.

Odine's dark eyes sparkled with interest at Laguna's mention of his favorite subject. He still pulled his unnaturally black hair (Laguna suspected he dyed it) into the odd topknot he favored, and still wore the voluminous, multicolored clownlike outfit that made him look more than a little ridiculous. But Laguna knew that the silly, slightly odd appearance hid a mind that was far more cunning and dangerous than even _he_ had believed at first. Until he'd seen it in action.

"Ah. I haff a theory on zhat. Vould you like to hear it?" Odine asked.

Laguna nodded. Any little bit of info would help.

"Okay. In your studies so far, haff you noticed any sort of pattern in zhe manner in vhich zhe sorceresses receive zheir powers?" Odine asked.

"No, not really, aside from the fact that they all seem to choose girls younger than five to be their successors." Laguna answered.

Odine nodded enthusiastically, "Just so. Zhey alvays choose _young_ girls. Vhy is ziss, do you think?"

"I don't really know, to be honest." Laguna said.

"Zhe tradition states zhat zhe younger zhe girl, zhe easier it iz for her to adapt to zhe power. And also, it iz easier to train her in its use. Zhe girl's body and mind is more able to absorb zhe power and make it part of her. Zhat is vhy no girl older zhan ten has ever become a sorceress. Aside from one." Odine said, studying Laguna intently.

"Rinoa." Laguna said.

"Yes." Odine confirmed, continuing, "She was seventeen vhen she received zhe power. Zhe shock, along vith Ultimecia's attempt to posses her, vere vhat caused her to fall into zhe coma she vas in vhen she vas brought here. Her body and mind vere not only fighting Ultimecia, but also the new power she vas granted as vell."

"Okay, but that still doesn't fully explain sorceress infertility." Laguna said.

"Listen carefully zhen, and I vill outline my theory to you. All of zhe sorceresses receive zheir powers at young ages, yes?" When Laguna nodded, Odine continued, "zhey all of zhem, became sorceresses before zhey reach physical maturity. My theory iz, zhe power somehow changes zheir bodies as zhey grow, slowing and even halting zheir development. Zhey never become completely mature, physically. Zome, like Adel, do not even develop secondary female characteristics."

Laguna nodded. It made sense. Adel had been monstrous, and it had been hard to believe that the towering creature that called itself a sorceress was in fact, _female_. From what he'd learned of Adel's own history, she had been chosen and given her power at a very young age indeed. She'd been barely two years old when the power was conferred to her. If Odine's theory was correct, it would go a long way toward explaining how she'd turned into the creature she had become.

"Zhere is again, _one_ exception to zhiss pattern." Odine said, watching Laguna carefully.

"Rinoa. Again." Laguna said, realization dawning on him.

"Indeed. She vass _already_ physically mature vhen she received her power. She vass already fertile, capable of bearing children. Based on ziss, it is not impossible zhat she could become pregnant. Making her zhe first sorceress ever to achieve zhiss miracle." Odine said, eyes gleaming in excitement.

"But, if the power changes their bodies…" Laguna said, beginning to worry in earnest for Rinoa and her unborn babies.

"I do not think it vill haff zhe same effect upon Sorceress Rinoa. It may slow her aging, but her body has already finished growing, and were she to become pregnant, I think ziss process vill not be interfered vith. _But_," Odine raised a finger, dark eyes boring intensely into Laguna's. "ziss is theory only. I cannot prove the truth of it unless zhe Sorceress Rinoa does become pregnant. Zhat is vhy I _must_ see her zhe moment she does. My research depends upon it!"

Laguna swallowed nervously at that, and hoped his poker face was good enough not to give away the news that she had _already_ become pregnant. Listening to Odine, Laguna acknowledged that what both Squall and Rinoa feared might indeed come to pass. If Odine learned of Rinoa's pregnancy, he would do everything in his power to bring her to his lab for his precious research. And Laguna already knew that Odine wouldn't care who he hurt in the process.

Laguna also knew that Squall would not hesitate to kill Odine if he had the audacity to attempt to use his wife like he would a lab animal.

The problem was, they only had a few short weeks before a blind man could tell that Rinoa was with child. It would only take one good photograph of her for Odine, and the rest of the world, to know.

Swallowing again, Laguna said, "That's a fascinating theory Odine. Thank you for sharing that with me, it was very informative." Sighing and stretching, Laguna stood to leave.

"You vill tell me, yes? If your son's vife becomes pregnant?" Odine asked eagerly.

Laguna grimaced. It wasn't as though he could hide it _completely_…but he _could _buy his son some time to prepare for the inevitable challenge to come.

"Yes." Laguna said. He wasn't lying, precisely. He just didn't specify _when_ he'd tell Odine.

He needed to speak to Squall first, and they needed to work out a plan together.

* * *

"How was the honeymoon?" Squall asked.

Irvine grinned, "It was great. Thanks a lot buddy, I really appreciate it."

"Thank my dad. It was his villa." Squall said, smiling slightly.

"I already did." Irvine replied.

They both sat on surfboards just offshore of Rinahl beach. One of the rare times that Squall was able to come out to surf with Zell and Irvine. The waves were setting up beautifully but they hadn't yet found one that they wanted to ride, so they simply sat and waited for one. The weather was beautiful, just warm enough to make the cold seawater refreshing by contrast.

Rinoa and Selphie were both walking along the shore, deep in conversation, with Selphie wearing her little yellow bikini and Rinoa in a black one. It was still early in Rinoa's pregnancy, so the signs were subtle, but they were there, if one knew what to look for.

"How's Rinoa doing? She's looking pretty good." Irvine commented.

Squall raised his eyebrows and said in a warning tone, "Irvine…"

Irvine laughed, "I love Selphie, but you have to admit Squall, pregnancy agrees with your wife." Irvine hoped Selphie looked that good when she got pregnant. Whenever that would be. Neither of them was in a hurry for that just yet, they wanted to get settled into their lives first.

Squall smiled, saying softly, "Yeah, it does. She's doing fine, so far." Squall watched Rinoa as she walked along the beach, agreeing with Irvine's observation. She was still slender, and from far off no one could tell, but the changes her body had already undergone thus far were nothing less than fascinating. Particularly the way she suddenly seemed to be outgrowing her bikini top. _That_ change was one that Squall was _very_ happy about.

"Well, that's good to hear. You guys think of names for the babies yet?" Irvine asked, curiously.

Squall shrugged, "We're still working on that. I already know what I want to name my son, but my daughter's going to be a little tougher to figure out."

Then Squall paused, laughing slightly before adding, "_My_ son. _My_ daughter. It sounds weird for me to be saying that."

"How do you feel about it? About becoming a father?" Irvine asked. Squall wasn't terribly forthcoming about his feelings most of the time, and Irvine wanted to know how his friend was dealing with such a huge change in his life.

Squall sighed, running his fingers through his hair before answering, "I'm terrified, and worried, and…excited. I worry about Rinoa, about how she's doing, and I worry about how I'm going to do this. Me? A father?" Squall shook his head, continuing, "I have no idea how to raise _one_ child, let alone two. I have no idea what kind of father I'll be."

"You know, they have books for that. Might want to study up on it." Irvine suggested.

Squall nodded, "Yeah, I've already gotten a couple. So far, I'm still confused."

"So, what do you want to name your son?" Irvine asked.

Squall paused, and then answered, "Saber."

"You're kidding, right? You're going to name your son after a _sword_?" Irvine asked, incredulous.

Squall shrugged, "_I _was named for a type of rainstorm. So was my mother. I couldn't think of any weather related names that didn't sound completely stupid, and calling him 'gunblade' is just ridiculous. Saber at least sounds cool."

Irvine considered that for a moment, then tried it out, "Saber Leonhart. You know? It works. What about the girl?"

"Rinoa and I agreed that I'd name our son, and she'd name our daughter." Squall answered.

"Hey! You guys gonna surf or what?" Zell called over to them as he paddled toward a cresting swell. It looked like a nice one, and Squall exchanged a look with Irvine, who shrugged.

"Yeah! Right behind you Zell!" Irvine called back. He and Squall began paddling toward the swell and they split off to give each other enough space to ride the wave properly.

They rode the waves until the sunset began pouring its golden light all over the beach. While he was surfing, Squall had opened his connection to Rinoa and shared his exhilaration with her, which she enjoyed immensely. About mid-afternoon, Squall felt a curious queasy hunger and sent a query to Rinoa who confirmed it was coming from her.

_Why don't you go home and get something to eat? We'll be done here in a little while._ He had told her.

They were walking back to Irvine's truck after they were done, with Irvine carrying his surfboard under one arm and with the other arm draped over Selphie's shoulders. The evening breeze had picked up, drying the seawater from their bodies and cooling them.

"Rinoa and I are moving to Deling City." Squall said.

"What?" Zell exclaimed, "You're leaving Garden?"

"You're not quitting on us, are you?" Irvine asked, worried.

Squall shook his head, "No. I'm still Commander here and that's not going to change. But the medical facilities are better in Deling City than here, so we've decided to relocate there temporarily. At least until the babies are born and able to travel."

"So, what? You're going to commute back and forth every day?" Zell asked.

"Yeah. I'll have to fly the Ragnarok back and forth, the train would take too long." Squall answered.

"Do you know when the babies are due?" Selphie asked.

"Midwinter. January." Squall said.

"When are you going to move?" Irvine asked.

"Next month." Squall answered.

Irvine fell silent, thinking. His Instructor training would be starting at about the same time. It couldn't be a coincidence. They reached Irvine's truck and loaded their surfboards into the back.

"Selphie and I are transferring down there at around the same time." Irvine commented, leaning against the tailgate.

"You guys are going too?" Zell asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, I put in for my instructors license, and the training for it is at Galbadia Garden. Selphie and I are transferring there temporarily while I'm taking the classes." Irvine explained.

"Its not a coincidence that we're all going to be there at the same time, is it?" Selphie asked.

Squall shook his head, answering, "no, its not." Then he hesitated, looking from Irvine to Selphie.

Turning and leaning back against Irvine's truck and gazing back out to the ocean, Squall took a deep breath and said softly, "I need you guys to do me a favor."

"What? Anything you need man, you know we're there for you." Irvine said. Selphie and Zell both nodded in agreement.

"I've arranged it so that Rinoa can work as the assistant to Galbadia Garden's doctor in the infirmary. She's done pretty well with her training, and even if she can't really use her magic right now to cure anyone, she's still a pretty good medic." Squall began, and then turned to Irvine and Selphie, continuing slowly, "I need you two to…keep an eye on her, while I'm at work here."

Irvine and Selphie both frowned, exchanging a glance, then Irvine asked, "If she's working at Galbadia Garden, she'll be safe, right? Nobody can get past a full squad of SeeDs, and she'll be surrounded by them."

Squall expelled a breath forcefully, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. How could he explain to his friends the disquiet he felt about leaving Garden and moving to Deling City? How could he illustrate to them that the concerns he had for Rinoa's safety were unfortunately, very real?

"I know. I just… I have this feeling…" Squall said, trying to articulate his worries. It wouldn't be long until Rinoa's pregnancy would be obvious. Squall shuddered at the thought of what Odine might attempt when he found out.

"Hey, look man," Irvine said, gripping Squall's shoulder, "nobody would be foolish enough to take on all the SeeDs in Galbadia Garden just to get at her. I get where you're coming from though, I do. Selphie and I, we'll be happy to help in any way you need us to. You know I've got your back bro."

Squall sighed in relief, saying, "Thanks, both of you."

"What about me? Is there anything I can do?" Zell asked.

Squall turned to him and answered, "actually, yes. I need you to help monitor the intel contacts we have in FH and Esthar. Let me know if anything unusual comes up. Any increase in activity, movement, anything."

"So, you're anticipating trouble from that direction?" Zell asked, curiously.

Squall nodded, answering, "They know Rinoa's a sorceress, and well… we get photographed a lot. Eventually, everyone's going to know she's pregnant. Whether you love sorceresses or not, that's pretty significant news, especially considering that its never happened before. Now, it's still rumor _here_ that she's a sorceress, but I don't know how long that'll last. I just want to be prepared if trouble _does_ come."

Zell nodded, saying, "You got it man."

"Thanks." Squall said.

"You and Rinoa are coming to our reception tonight, right?" Irvine asked.

"Yes." Squall answered with a smile.

"We know it's a little odd to do it more than two weeks after we actually got married, but since nobody actually got to be there, we figured this would make up for it." Selphie said. Irvine opened the door of his truck for her and went around to the driver's side.

"You want a ride back with us, guys? I know you two came with Rinoa and I guess she's already gone home?" Irvine asked.

Squall shrugged, "sure, if you've got room." Zell nodded.

"Yeah, we do. Rinoa told me she had to get something to eat, she was feeling sick." Selphie told him. Squall smiled slightly and nodded. He already knew.

"Well, it might be a little tight, but I _do_ have a back seat, so hop in guys." Irvine said.

They did as instructed, and were back at Balamb Garden in moments. They all parted company in the parking garage, Zell and Squall reclaiming their surfboards from the bed of Irvine's truck.

Walking back to his-_their_-rooms, Irvine kissed Selphie's temple and said, "want to share a shower with me? We've got a couple of hours to kill before our reception."

"Of course, silly. It'll take less time if we shower together. Besides, its much more fun." She smiled. Irvine chuckled.

"I agree." He said as they reached their apartment. It had taken several hours of intensive cleaning to restore it to its usual order when Irvine and Selphie had returned from their honeymoon two days earlier.

_Someone_, apparently, had gained access to his apartment and rigged it. He had to admire whomever it was that had done it, because it was a truly elegant piece of work. The manner in which it was done, the fact that there was no evidence of forced access, the sheer subtlety and deviousness of the booby traps employed, led Irvine to think that Squall may have been the culprit. Which was surprising, because he wasn't given to practical jokes.

However, Squall also wasn't one to issue idle threats either, and he _had_ promised payback for his bachelor party.

When he and Selphie had gotten home, Irvine, as a grand, romantic gesture, picked her up and carried her across the threshold…. And nearly broke his neck as he hit a tripwire that triggered an air horn, startling him into stumbling over another tripwire that sent a stack of books cascading into his path. Both he and Selphie sprawled onto the carpet, which was knee-deep in cotton balls.

Before they got to their feet, they both cautiously surveyed the area and found a fine network of nearly invisible tripwires rigging canisters of silly string, shaving cream, more stacks of books and even an egg launcher. It had taken him and Selphie most of the night to disarm them all.

All but one…Irvine had missed the bucket of ice water rigged above the doorway to his bedroom. Which made him feel really stupid since it was so simple and basic that he should have caught it…_but_, and this was what made Irvine think it was Squall's handiwork… the manner in which it was set up was a masterpiece of misdirection. Something Squall excelled at.

It was the main reason why Irvine never bothered to play chess with him. He always won.

Irvine stowed his surfboard in the closet while Selphie began removing her swimsuit, and he turned to admire anew the slender figure of his wife. While he'd had two weeks to get used to the idea, it still felt odd to have that particular term applied to _anyone_; likewise with _husband_.

But, he _was_ getting used to it, and was certainly enjoying married life with Selphie so far.

Sneaking up behind her, he slid his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck, whispering, "that swimsuit looks so damn good on you. You have no idea how badly I wanted to just hop off my surfboard and drag you back here."

Selphie sighed, smiling as his hands traveled upwards to fondle her breasts as he continued nuzzling at her neck and earlobe. Her knees went weak and she leaned back against him with a soft moan.

"You should have, you looked so sexy on that surfboard, with the sun in your hair and that gorgeous tan you got in Esthar, I was literally drooling. I couldn't wait to get back home with you." She said softly. Irvine tightened his arms around her, pulling her close and resting his cheek against hers for a moment.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too." She responded to him, and then added, "You want to continue this in the shower? Or would you rather hold off until after the reception?"

Irvine laughed softly, asking, "Can it be both?"

"Of course it can." She smiled. Irvine growled playfully and started nibbling at her neck. Selphie shivered at the thrill that tingled up her spine as he did. Irvine slid both hands down over her ribs to her belly, coming to rest at her hips. Hooking his thumbs into her bikini bottom, he pulled them down, and Selphie obligingly stepped out of them as they fell to the floor.

Turning in his arms, Selphie pressed herself against Irvine's body and reached up, slipping her hands behind his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. As she kissed him, she worked her fingers back into his hair and pulled off the elastic band confining his hair into his usual ponytail. His arms tightened around her, then his hands trailed downward to her derrière. Cupping her cheeks, he pressed her against him, and she moaned softly at feeling his excitement.

Stepping back, she took his hands and towed him toward the bathroom and into the shower.

The water was turned on and adjusted and Irvine quickly shed his board shorts and stepped into the shower letting the warm water sluice down his body and into his hair. When Selphie joined him, they continued from where they'd left off, the heat and steam of the shower combining with the heat of their passion.

Their lips fused and tongues caressed each other as their bodies came together, Irvine lifting Selphie as he entered her, pressing her up against the far wall of the shower, being mindful of the tricky footing as he did. Selphie wrapped her legs around him and held on with her hands around his neck.

"Don't slip," Selphie said between kisses, holding Irvine's face between her hands. She dragged in a deep breath of the steamy air. A moan was pulled from her as Irvine thrust and retreated.

"I won't honey," He replied breathlessly, adding on a laugh, "can you imagine trying to explain a shower-slip injury to Dr. Kadowaki?"

"Yeah, I think I'll pass…ooooh…" She replied, then lost the power of speech entirely as Irvine stepped up his pace, thrusting harder and faster. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool tile, biting her lip as each thrust brought her closer to the breaking point. She clutched at him when she reached it, shuddering with a gasping cry as she did. Irvine's release came moments later, and he crushed her close while riding the waves of pleasure that washed over them both.

Kissing her gently, he smoothed her now wet hair back from her face and smiled, "I guess we'd better actually wash up now, huh?"

Selphie smiled back and said, "Yeah, we don't want to be late for our own reception, do we?" Irvine merely chuckled as they disengaged from one another and concentrated on the _other_ reason they'd gotten into the shower.

* * *

Two hours later they were both standing at the doorway to the main ballroom at Garden, greeting everyone that came in. Selphie had worn the dress she'd gotten married in, and just as before, Irvine had rented a tuxedo. They'd gone back and forth over that, Irvine thinking that his dress uniform would suffice but Selphie adamantly insisting on a tux just like he'd worn at their wedding.

He had to admit that with his hair slicked back into the braid that Selphie had done for him, he looked pretty darn good in the tux. Selphie of course looked stunning.

The flowers and decorations looked wonderful, and a beautifully decorated table stood off to the side with refreshments. Champagne was provided to all via servers that circulated through the crowd.

Cid and Edea offered their congratulations, as did all of Irvine's friends, Quistis, Zell, Nida, and other friends that Irvine had invited from Galbadia Garden. When Irvine's musician friend Mark had heard of his impromptu wedding, he insisted upon providing the music for the reception. Squall and Rinoa, also in attendance, gave their congratulations as well, even though they had already done so in private.

"This is a lovely reception Selphie, you've done a great job, as always." Rinoa said, smiling. She had worn a deep wine-red silken dress that suited her coloring perfectly. With her hair pulled up and her skin glowing from pregnancy, she looked amazing, and Irvine couldn't fault Squall for the intense attention he paid her. He wouldn't be surprised if they left the party early, judging by the look in Squall's eyes.

"Thanks, believe it or not, Irvine helped." Selphie said, glowing herself with happiness.

"How so?" Rinoa asked, leaning into Squall as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"The lead singer of the band playing is an old friend of Irvine's. When he heard we'd gotten married, he insisted on coming to play our reception." Selphie answered.

"They're good." Rinoa commented, and Squall nodded his agreement. Then she bade them farewell and towed an only _slightly_ resisting Squall out onto the dance floor. Irvine chuckled quietly, knowing he was doing it just for appearances.

Turning to Selphie and holding out his elbow, he asked, "shall we dance darlin'?"

Smiling up at him, she took it and said, "I think we shall."

* * *

Later, Irvine walked out onto the balcony to get some air and was surprised to see Squall leaning against the railing, sipping at a glass of champagne.

"Hey there, where's Rinoa?" Irvine asked, looking around for her.

Squall shrugged, "she had to visit the ladies' room." Irvine chuckled. Moving over to the railing, he leaned against it next to Squall.

He looked over, curious, and asked, "Where's Selphie?"

"Same thing." He answered with a grin.

Squall laughed, "It's a conspiracy. Better watch your ponytail. You might wake up with a haircut."

"Never." Irvine said firmly. They lapsed into silence, enjoying the cool night air.

"By the way," Irvine said, slanting a sideways glance over at Squall, "nice work with the tripwires. Very elegant."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Squall said flatly, but a twitch at the corners of his lips gave him away.

"I saw that." Irvine said. "You _did_ do it, didn't you?"

Squall shrugged, chuckling, then said, "I had no choice. An idle threat is an empty one."

"Bastard." Irvine laughed.

"I prefer _asshole_, thank you very much. I know who my father is." Squall said, putting one hand into his hip pocket.

"Okay. Asshole then." Irvine said.

Squall inclined his head and said gravely, "thank you."

Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he studied what he held there.

"What's that?" Irvine asked, curious.

"Rinoa found this in some old stuff I'd forgotten I still had." Squall answered.

Irvine grinned, "So she's starting to pack already?"

"Kind of, mostly just sorting things and getting ready though. I didn't realize I had so much stuff." Squall commented. Irvine grinned again.

"It tends to accumulate whether you want it to or not. Me and my guns, you and your gunblades." Irvine said, Squall snorted at this observation.

"So what is it?" Irvine asked. Squall showed it to him. Irvine narrowed his eyes, studying it.

The golden light from the ballroom dueled with the dim starlight from above and the object, a small seashell, shimmered with rainbow iridescence. It was beautiful, and Irvine remembered vividly the day he gave it to Squall. It had been the day he'd left the orphanage for good, bound for the new school that the Kramers had built.

"Do you know what it is?" Irvine asked, wondering if Squall remembered where it had come from.

"It's a rainbow shell. They're very rare and usually only found in the waters of southern Centra. I had to look it up. I had no idea at first." Squall answered, frowning.

"Do you remember how you got it?" Irvine asked, watching him carefully. Squall frowned for a moment, then his expression relaxed and he focused on Irvine.

"You gave it to me." Squall sighed, relaxing back against the balcony railing and tilting his face back, staring at the stars.

"I remember now. You were… leaving. For Galbadia. They were throwing a party for you in the orphanage to send you off. But I…I didn't want to see you go. I didn't feel like celebrating it. So, I left." _I was losing yet another person I cared about, and I couldn't handle it._ Squall thought, retreating into silence again.

"They…_we _… searched for you for hours." Irvine said quietly. "I finally remembered this little cove with a sea cave in it that you showed me once. And I found you there." Then he laughed softly, "I gave you that shell so you wouldn't forget me. So maybe if we found each other again, we could still be friends. Brothers. Ironic that I was the only one out of all of us that you couldn't remember."

Squall looked down at his feet for a moment, and then looked up with a half-smile, "If you recall, it was both you and Ellone that I seemed to have the most trouble remembering."

"Yeah. I wondered why." Irvine commented.

"It hurt less, to forget." Squall said simply. Irvine nodded. That was what he had thought.

"So, it wasn't the GF's then, that caused you to forget?" Irvine asked.

Squall shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe not entirely… maybe they helped me to forget things that I didn't want to remember."

"You didn't forget _everything_ though. And… and it came back. It took a few months completely unjunctioned, but some of it _did_ come back." Irvine said. That was something worth remembering. The human mind was far more resilient than anyone had even a clue of. Squall's was proof.

Squall nodded, "yeah, it did." They fell into a companionable silence, enjoying the peace of the night and the cool breeze from the nearby ocean. That was how Rinoa and Selphie found them.

"So here's where you guys decided to hide out." Selphie said, smiling and slipping her hands around Irvine's waist. He obligingly hugged her close. Rinoa simply walked into Squall's arms and he held her close. It was almost eerie, how they seemed to communicate without saying anything. Irvine wondered about that. He could ask Squall about it, but wasn't sure that he'd get an answer about _that_ aspect of their relationship.

Probably best to let sleeping lions lie.

"You want to go back in and dance some more?" Irvine asked Selphie. At her nod, Irvine turned to leave.

As he did, Squall said, "I think Rinoa and I are going to call it a night."

Irvine grinned, gave him a wink and held his hand out. Squall grabbed it and shook it.

"Thanks for coming man." Irvine said, adding, "You two have a good night."

"You as well. Good night Irvine." Squall said as Rinoa gave Selphie a brief hug. They parted company then, Squall and Rinoa making their way to the exit, while Irvine escorted Selphie out to the dance floor.

As they began to waltz to the slow tune that the band was playing, Selphie asked him, "So, what were you guys talking about out there?"

Irvine gently guided Selphie into a twirl and brought her back to him, pulling her close and answering, "Memories."

"Good ones?" She asked.

"Yeah. Mostly." Irvine answered. Selphie nodded and concentrated on the dance, following Irvine's lead flawlessly.

The last few months had changed them all profoundly, and Irvine for one couldn't wait to go back to Galbadia and learn what he needed to in order to become an instructor. It would be odd, to go back there married, something completely at odds with the person he had once been. But he at least, was willing and able to embark upon this new chapter of his life with Selphie at his side.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Irvine asked as he pulled her close, gazing down at her. The music still played, but they weren't dancing anymore.

Selphie tipped her face up to his and answered, "Not in the last couple of hours or so."

"I'll have to remedy that," Irvine murmured, bending down to kiss her.

Just before their lips met, he whispered, "I love you."

**fin**


End file.
